Strangers In The Night
by peridot moonlight
Summary: A terrible accident leaves Peyton Sawyer with no recollection of the past eight years. She awakens to discover that the life she once knew no longer exists and finds herself married and living with a complete stranger. Loosely inspired by the movie The Vow.
1. Clocks

Chapter 1: Clocks

 **New York City – October 2014**

Her eyes darted back across the room checking the clock sitting on the nightstand.

 _Shit._ She thought after looking at the time. They were going to be late. Again.

Peyton Sawyer sighed letting her back fall down against the mattress as she continued to listen to Haley, one of her closest girlfriends and for the past two years her business partner, ramble off on the last few items that needed to be addressed before the conversation could come to a close.

This was taking way longer than she had anticipated. He was going to be pissed. But this was business and it was business that she needed to handle. He'd understand in the end.

Despite relocating to New York a year and a half ago, Peyton couldn't just abandon all her responsibilities and leave poor Haley to shoulder it all. Haley was a godsend, the only reason she was able to leave Tree Hill for New York in the first place. Haley knew the music business inside out. She was musically talented in her own right, and despite their differing taste and styles in music, Haley James Scott was just as passionate about changing the world through music as Peyton was. So when the time came it was a no-brainer to bring Haley on as a partner after years of strictly working for Peyton as a record producer and even lending her song writing abilities to the label from time to time.

That being said, while she was thankful for Haley, because god knows she'd be lost without her these days, Red Bedroom Records was _her_ baby. She had started it on her own from the ground up, with a generous investment from her best friend Brooke Davis, and she had no intention of walking away from her baby. So she still managed her side of the business as best she could remotely from New York, while Haley and a couple of other employees managed the day-to-day affairs back in Tree Hill. Additionally, Peyton would fly down there twice a month to check up on things in person.

And though they pretty much emailed and texted non-stop every day, once a week Peyton and Haley got on the phone to hash out their work in further detail. Tonight they were doing just that.

This situation was all temporary of course. From the very beginning they had planned to move to New York agreeing that it was temporary. If all went well she'd be back in Tree Hill by next summer. It was time to come home for good. Though she'd be lying if she said she wouldn't miss the city. Peyton was amazed at how it seemed to become a part of her in such a short amount of time. She hadn't regretted leaving Tree Hill and her close friends behind to come live here. She needed this. Especially after the tumultuous year she'd gone through right before moving to New York. It had been an utter nightmare and New York had been a welcomed escape.

"Okay, sure." Peyton quickly pulled away from her thoughts and agreed with Haley's assessment regarding the label's newest signed artist.

"Well…are you sure?" Haley hesitated for a bit before beginning again. "Because I know you're busy with-"

Oh hell no.

Peyton quickly cut her off. "Haley it's fine. I got this." She reassured her. They had been on the phone for the past two hours. If she didn't put a stop to this now, they'd be on the phone until the wee hours of the morning. And it wouldn't be the first time. It was no secret that Haley was a worrywart and an overachiever on top of that. Most of the time it didn't really faze Peyton in the slightest, but tonight it was irritating the shit out of her. She needed to end this call soon.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you freak." Peyton replied while laughing. "Have I ever let you down before?"

"Of course not!" Haley replied in a serious tone. "I just want to let you know that if it's too much that I can take over. I know how busy you get once classes start. I'm here for you."

Peyton scoffed. "You do enough already Hales. Besides I'm pretty sure I monopolize enough of your time as it is. Do you even remember that you have a family in that big old house of yours?"

"Hmmm….now that you mention it they do sound vaguely familiar." Haley teased. "And that house is far from old, especially with the small fortune Nathan and I spent on renovations."

Peyton laughed again. "You're doing a great job Haley. Trust me. The label would be falling apart if it wasn't for you." She could hear Haley taking a nervous breath over the line. "You're doing a great job." She reassured her one more time.

Haley chuckled. "I am pretty awesome aren't I?" She asked though the words came out of her lips much more like a statement rather than a question.

"The awesomest." Peyton replied teasingly, a smile taking over her lips. "That being said, get your ass out of the office and go home to your hot basketball player husband and those adorable two perfect kiddos of yours. I'll look over the contracts you faxed over tomorrow, I'll get in touch with Mia's tour manager to finalize the tour dates, and I'll send you my notes on those new tracks you sent me."

"Sounds good boss."

"Haley you've been co-owner of Red Bedroom Records for almost two years now. Newsflash I'm not your boss anymore. You run the show just as much as I do."

"Yeah I know." Haley smugly replied. "It's just nice to hear it from someone else every once in awhile."

Peyton smiled. "Being your own boss feels good doesn't it?"

"Hell yes."

"Well if that's all, I'm gonna let you go and try to convince my own husband not to divorce me. It's safe to say I've pretty much ruined our date night at this point."

"Ouch. I find that groveling helps." Haley quipped.

Peyton eyed the clock again. "Under normal circumstances I'd totally ignore that, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Well make sure to stretch out those boney knees of yours beforehand."

"Ha. Ha." The blonde rolled her bright greens eyes even if Haley couldn't actually see her at the moment. Peyton quickly sat back up on the bed inspecting her knees. They weren't that boney, were they? "Wish me luck." She spoke in a frown still checking out her knees.

"Good luck! You guys are still coming down next weekend for Jamie's birthday party right?" She asked with her usual dose of enthusiasm.

"We wouldn't miss it. I can't believe the kid is going to be nine. Dude, we're old."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Haley replied with a little less gusto this time.

"Send my love to Nathan, Jamie & Lydia." Peyton quickly added.

"Will do."

"And Haley…thanks for all your help."

"Always." Haley softly replied before promptly disconnecting the call.

* * *

Peyton exited the bedroom dragging her bare feet across their apartment towards the living room where she found her handsome husband on the couch twirling an empty beer bottle in his right hand. "We missed the movie didn't we?" She asked softly already knowing the answer. She took a seat next to him.

Lucas Scott moved his gaze away from the bottle twirling in his hand to look at his wife.

Peyton studied his expression carefully. He didn't look overly pissed, but he didn't look happy either.

"The last showing started over an hour ago Peyton, you knew that." Lucas snapped in irritation.

"I'm really sorry Luke." She inched her way closer towards him and placed her hands over his free hand. She was relieved when he didn't flinch at her touch. Peyton had half expected him to push her hands away. Things were usually perfect between them, sure they had their disagreements like any married couple would, but for the most part it had been smooth sailing between them. It had been smooth sailing alright or at least it had been up until two month ago. They'd been fighting constantly for weeks. The fights usually stemming from the fact that they hadn't been spending much time together lately. In addition to managing the label, Peyton had enrolled in a two year art program at the Pratt Institute not long after they had decided to move to New York. As for Lucas, he had been busy working on his latest novel for the past year. It wasn't anywhere near completion yet, but he was slowly getting there.

Their routine has been pretty simple, while Peyton was at school or locked up in her home office/studio immersed in work, Lucas would dive into his own work be it his novel or preparing pieces for a few publications he worked for sometimes as a guest columnist. And for the past year it had worked. They both worked hard, while still excelling in their marriage and even managed to form a tight circle of close friends to hang out with.

But now that Peyton was in her second and final year at Pratt, she'd been busier than ever. If the past two months since school started were any indication, Lucas was not looking forward to the rest of the school year. She had basically been a ghost these past few weeks barely spending anytime at home anymore. They usually caught sight of each other during the mornings as they both got ready for the day and at night somewhere between dinner and bedtime, when Peyton would come stumbling into the apartment completely exhausted and stressed the fuck out from her classes. The poor thing could barely hold on to a conversation before passing out in their bed from fatigue. In the beginning of course Lucas had sympathized. His girl was kicking ass at school, while still holding down a successful recording label. And though she was stressed, she was happy. He was proud of her. He was confident she would eventually be able to manage and juggle everything as smoothly as she had been able to last year. It was Peyton after all. His wife never did anything half assed and she always came out on top.

But it only got worse. Hell some nights Lucas was lucky if Peyton came home at all. A few times she had opted to passing out at her work studio at school in order to avoid the grueling late night subway commute from Brooklyn back to Manhattan where they lived. She'd be able to get more work done on her projects and save up on lost time spent commuting back and forth. Plus in her opinion the work spaces at Pratt were ten times better than the shoe box of a room she called her office back at the apartment.

The first night she stayed out Lucas was beyond livid. He had woken up in the middle of the night lazily reaching out to her side of the bed only to be met with cold empty sheets. After inspecting the rest of the apartment and finding no signal of her return he panicked. Naturally the worst possible scenarios went running wild through his mind as he tried to reach her over the phone, his calls going straight to voicemail. He even called a few of her classmates he'd become friendly with over the past year, but not a single one could tell Lucas where his wife was. When that proved to be fruitless he hurriedly dressed and was half way out the door when Peyton finally called. She groggily explained over the line how she'd just woken up from a power nap and her phone had died making her miss his calls. Lucas was seething the entire time she spoke. When she was done explaining he barked at Peyton to get her ass into a cab and come straight home, and that he didn't care how much it fucking cost. He hung up before she could object.

45 minutes later she stormed back into the apartment slamming the front door behind her in a fury. They probably woke up their neighbors on the entire floor that night. It was the biggest fight they'd ever had in the six years they had been together. Peyton couldn't believe how much he was overreacting and she definitely made sure he got the message as she yelled at him. She should have remembered to call yes, but he was acting crazy nonetheless. Lucas could only yell back at how ridiculous she was behaving. Peyton could have been dropped dead in a ditch somewhere for all he knew and yet here she was completely unfazed by the entire situation. She wasn't some 18 year old in college pulling all nighters anymore. She was in her late twenties and had a husband for fuck sakes. She couldn't just disappear like that. He expected her to be home every damn night, sleeping in their bed not on the floor of an art studio in Brooklyn. If she didn't want to take the subway then they'd lease a car so she could drive home. End of story. By the end of his rant Peyton was visibly shaking from how angry she was. She walked away without further word and retreated into her office locking it behind her and effectively shutting Lucas out. She left him with little choice but to head back to bed alone.

By the time he had peeled out of bed the next morning she was already gone for the day and three days later she still hadn't come home. She avoided his calls only choosing to communicate with him via text to let him know she was staying at school. By the fourth day Lucas couldn't take it anymore. This was the longest they'd ever gone without speaking and it was driving him crazy. He missed her. At 2am he hauled his ass over to Brooklyn frantically going through all of Pratt's student studios until he found her. The second he entered the room Peyton dropped whatever she had been working on and jumped straight into his arms as tears silently streamed down her face. She had missed him too. Peyton would later admit that she'd done it purely out of spite over their fight. She didn't really mean to hurt him.

One steamy kiss later and she practically yanked Lucas down to the floor where they both worked quickly at discarding the other's clothing. It was the first time they'd been intimate in weeks. They remained on the floor tangled up in each other murmuring apologizes and words of forgiveness throughout the rest of the night.

Last week Lucas had proposed scheduled date nights in order to help them get back their groove. Peyton agreed. Tonight was supposed to be the first of these scheduled dates. She had totally blown it. She knew she had.

"I honestly didn't think the call would run that long babe." She continued after Lucas remained silent. "But you know that Haley, total slave driver. She can be a real bitch sometimes." Her pathetic attempt at a joke fell flat. Peyton watched as her husband narrowed his blue eyes at her clearly unimpressed. "I really am sorry Lucas." She apologized again. She gave his left hand a tight squeeze.

Lucas released a heavy sigh. He placed the beer bottle that was still in his right hand down on the coffee table before placing that exact hand over hers. "We're supposed to be working on us Peyton."

"I know. I know." She quickly nodded in agreement. "I really was looking forward to tonight. It was never my intent to screw it up. Let me make it up to you." She pleaded with him. "I'm sure we could still salvage what's left of the night." She looked up at her husband of almost four years offering up her best pout. "Please Luke?"

"Just forget it Peyton." Lucas grumbled as he stood up from the couch. He wasn't in the mood for her trying to act all cute at the moment.

"No, no Luke, c'mon." The blonde grabbed Lucas' arm and pulled him back down on the couch before he could walk away. "How about we do dessert? I'll run downstairs and pick up your favorite ice cream…" She leaned over placing a light kiss on his left cheek and then continued to leave behind a trail of kisses until she reached his ear. "…then maybe we can have dessert in bed instead." She teased while nibbling his earlobe.

Peyton frowned at Lucas' unresponsiveness. She planted another kiss testing him. Again nothing.

 _Shit._ She thought again as her face settled into an even deeper frown. Lucas never wasted an opportunity to kiss her. Ever.

Peyton pulled away sitting up again. "Please talk to me." She pleaded. "Don't be mad."

Lucas sighed. He moved his hand away from hers running it through his short blond locks in frustration. "I'm not mad." His tone was soft and sad. "I just wanted to spend time with my girl. I've just missed you that's all."

"Lucas—"

"It's fine Peyton. We'll try again another night." He placed a soft kiss on the tip of her forehead before standing up.

"Where are you going?" Peyton demanded.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I might as well get some work in tonight. I've got those chapters I have to hand over to Lindsay by the end of the week." He replied. "She made a ton of edits last time that I still have to get through."

"Wait." She called out to him as he made his way over to his office down the hall. "Are you sure you don't want me to get us some dessert?" Peyton looked at him hopefully. She wanted him to say yes. She could tell how upset he was even though he had always been very good at masking his emotions.

Lucas shook his head. "It's fine babe."

Peyton leaned her head back in defeat once Lucas had disappeared. This was the worst. In all honestly she would have preferred for him to have yelled out his anger and frustration. Angry Lucas she could handle, but sad Lucas? Well, that broke her heart.

"Fuck it." She stated after spending a few more minutes on the couch. She stood up grabbing her purse and favorite leather jacket determined on purchasing Lucas' favorite ice cream and even more determined to lure him away from his desk and into bed with her. He'd be singing a different tune once she appeared before him wearing that one specific lingerie set she owned that had quickly become his favorite.

Peyton smiled to herself. It had been awhile since she dressed up for him.

Game on hubby.

"I'll be right back Luke!" She yelled out before exiting their apartment with a newly developed spring in her step. She walked out of the building and headed towards the convenience store a few blocks down.

* * *

Several minutes later she exited the store armed with a large bag of goodies. Peyton quickly rounded the corner wanting to get home fast. Despite it only being October the night air was unforgiving. Her fingers were starting to go numb, so she picked up the pace some more. Peyton mentally reminded herself that it was time to pull their winter things out of storage.

When she finally reached the front of her building the bag in hand had decided to completely tear itself open from the bottom. The collection of sweets she'd purchased came tumbling out in a mess on the concrete beneath her feet. "Fuck." She groaned out loud and reluctantly bent down to collect her items. She gathered everything in her arms before noticing she was missing the most important of them all. "Where the hell…" Peyton muttered surveying the area. She turned around catching the tub from the corner of her eye. "Damn." She spotted the tub of Lucas' mint chocolate chip ice cream slowly rolling away from her and nearing dangerously close to the street. In an instant she tossed what was in her arms back on the ground and ran over to save the ice cream catching it just in the time. She closed her eyes releasing a heavy sigh followed by a chuckle before straightening herself up.

Her eyes wildly flew open at the sounds of a speeding vehicle seemingly approaching out of nowhere. She hadn't been able to move in time. The loud crash of her fragile body coming into contact with the car was instantly followed by a deafening silence. Everything seem to happen in slow motion as Peyton felt her body go limp and essentially tossed back like a rag doll from the impact. Her body flew back several feet before crashing on to the ground. She could faintly hear the loud cracking sound that immediately followed once the back of her head banged violently against the cold hard concrete. She expected a rush of pain to follow, but it never came.

With what little strength she had left, Peyton lifted her eyes lids open. She was quickly met with a blinding light forcing her to shut them tightly once again. The light no doubt was emitting from the car that had just hit her. She was terrified to move even an inch, so she remained still silently pleading for someone to come to her aid. She thought of Lucas, he was inside their apartment only a few floors above from her broken body.

Peyton took in a deep breath, her nose catching the faint mix of the ice cream and blood that now covered her body. She could feel the warm stickiness of blood trickling down the side of her face. She couldn't stop the sob that escaped from her throat.

Her thoughts returned back to Lucas. She cried for him one last time before her world went black.

* * *

A/N: It's been years since I've written any stories, but after recently seeing the movie the Vow, I was inspired to work on a new story. I don't plan on borrowing much from the movie at all, just taking the basic concept and reworking it into the OTH universe.

Story named after Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night.

Chapter Song: Clocks by Coldplay


	2. Our Own House

Hey everyone!

So great to see this fic was able to stir up some interest. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Title Track for this chapter: 'Our Own House' by Misterwives

* * *

Chapter 2: Our Own House

"Stay with me now. C'mon you have to stay awake!"

Peyton could hear the voice urging her to keep her eyes open. She had been slipping in and out of consciousness. Staying awake required far too much strength at the moment. Strength she didn't have and the darkness was far more appealing to her at this point.

"An ambulance is on its way." The voice spoke to her again. Peyton's vision and hearing were a bit hazy at the moment, but she could tell the voice belonged to a woman. "What's your name?"

Peyton struggled to speak. The pain she hadn't felt at first came surging all at once.

"Do you remember your name?" The voice spoke again urging Peyton to answer.

The pain. It was unbearable. Her body felt like it had been ripped to pieces and set on fire. "Peyton." She finally managed to choke out through tears. It hurt so much. She convinced herself this was what dying feels like. There was no other way to describe it.

"Okay. Peyton." The voice repeated her name. "Try not to move." The voice instructed. "My name is Caroline. I'm gonna stay with you until the ambulance arrives. Okay?"

The voice sounded reassuring. Peyton couldn't see her, but she believed this woman's words. She nodded to Caroline.

"Do you live or know someone close by, maybe a friend or boyfriend?" Caroline asked.

Peyton's vision slightly cleared. Everything was still hazy, but she could tell Caroline had blonde hair. Just like her. "I…." Peyton willed herself to remember where she was right now. How far from home she was. But her mind came back empty. "I…I don't know where I am right now." She admitted to Caroline in defeat.

"Hey that's okay. That's okay." Caroline went back to reassuring her. "Anyway I think someone just found your purse. They'll be able to find out who to call for you from there. It'll be okay."

"Okay." Peyton whispered weakly. She could feel the darkness pulling her in again taking her under. Her head felt so heavy. Everything felt so heavy.

* * *

Brooke Davis ran down the hall frantically while she searched for her best friend's husband. Lucas had phoned her around one o'clock in the morning with the horrible news. Peyton had to be okay. She just had to be. Brooke continued to follow the signs leading her in the direction of the waiting room. At one point she missed a step almost falling flat on her face, she mentally cursed herself for leaving the apartment in heels of all things. She could have opted for something a little more comfortable, but she had made a mad dash for the door grabbing the first pair of shoes within her reach. It's not like she owned a pair of sneakers or anything, but she could have dealt better with a pair of flats on her feet at least. Oh well.

"Lucas!" She cried out after finally arriving at the waiting room. She immediately spotted her blond haired friend sitting in a chair hunched over with his hands covering his face.

Lucas ripped his hands away from his face upon hearing her familiar voice. He instantly jumped out of his seat racing towards the brunette. "Brooke." His voice broke slightly as he pulled her into a tight hug. He openly welcomed her presence. He sought comfort in her arms. He needed to feel something. He felt so numb.

Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas hugging him back just as tightly. Her eyes began to water. After a few moments passed she pulled back slightly her hands wrapping around his forearms keeping him close to her. "What happened?" She choked trying to hold back her tears. Her hazel eyes looked up to meet his blue ones.

Lucas looked down at her sadly. "I don't know..." He replied. "This is all my fault." He added shaking his head in disbelief.

"What in the world are you talking about?" She questioned while shooting him a worried glance.

Lucas pulled away from Brooke. He took his hands into his face again rubbing furiously at his temples before silently walking back towards his chair and sitting down. Brooke quickly followed taking the seat directly across from him.

She sighed carefully thinking how to proceed. It was clear he was a mess. She didn't want to upset him any further. She'd have to tread lightly. "Have the doctors told you anything?"

Lucas shook his head. "Not since they went in to prep her for surgery. No one has come back out since."

Brooke nodded sitting back in her chair. No news didn't necessary mean bad news right? She sighed again louder this time in an attempt to release some of the tension she was holding in. "Lucas?" She had spoken again after several minutes of silence passed between them. "Please tell me what's going on in that head of yours. What did you mean earlier? What's going on?"

Lucas shut his eyes tightly. He wanted all of this to go away. He didn't want to be here. He'd give anything to just go back to a few hours ago. Back to their couch, where Peyton had still been whole and was busy leaving a trail of kisses along his jawline. God, why hadn't he kissed her back? They wouldn't be here right now if he had just kissed her back.

She'd be safe in their home instead of laying unconscious over an operating table fighting for her life. And he couldn't do a damn thing to help her now. All he could do was wait it out. He'd never felt so useless in his entire life.

The blond reopened his eyes. It was no use. No matter how much he willed it he was still stuck here in the hospital. This nightmare was very much real.

"I was mad at her." Lucas sheepishly confessed. He was embarrassed. "I was mad at her and she wanted to make it up to me." He balled both his hands into fists. He felt angry now, angry at himself for being so childish. "And you know what I did Brooke? I pushed her away because I was so pissed about how things were going between us lately."

Brooke simply nodded in response. She knew the couple had hit a rough patch in their marriage and were having problems. Peyton had confided in her a couple of weeks ago, though Brooke didn't know the full extent of their issues in detail. Peyton had been pretty vague and Brooke hadn't pushed her to share any more than she was willing to.

"I didn't wanna get into a huge fight again, so I just…I just left her hanging and went to do some work instead. She went outside to pick up a few things and an hour later the hospital called to tell me she had been admitted. I didn't even realize she'd been gone for a whole hour." His head fell down in shame. "I didn't even realize it. She was bleeding out right outside our apartment building and I wasn't fucking there for her like I should have been. This is all my fault." He concluded. "If I hadn't pushed her away she'd be fine. "

"How could I not realize she'd been gone that long Brooke?"

"Don't you dare." Brooke snapped angrily while glaring at her friend. "Don't you dare go there. This is NOT your fault Lucas. If you want to blame someone, blame the prick that ran over your wife and my best friend. He's to blame not you." Brooke glanced down at her hands. They were shaking profusely.

"I can't lose her Brooke." Lucas spoke his voice completely cracking. "She's all I have."

"I know buddy." Brooke watched the tears spill overtaking Lucas' face. "We are not going to lose her." She said with a determined look on her face. She then latched tightly onto his hands. "She's going to be fine. Our girl is a fighter." Brooke reassured him. "She's gonna come out swinging."

* * *

Brooke glanced at her phone noticing a new text from Julian. She rapidly texted him an update and promised to call him later.

They had been waiting for hours. Lucas had dozed off about an hour ago resting his head on her shoulder. It had started to ache under the weight of his head, but she ignored it. She didn't have the heart to wake him up.

She felt her phone buzz yet again, another text from Julian.

 _Please remember to take good care of yourself and our babies. Don't forget to eat something. I love you guys._

Brooke smiled placing a hand over her stomach. They were pregnant. She was about three months along. On top of that they'd recently found out they were having twins. When they first discovered she was pregnant Julian was over the moon, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Brooke on the other hand had broken into a fit of tears in disbelief at the news. It was a welcomed blessing. Years prior her doctors had informed her that the chances of getting pregnant were basically next to none. And so Brooke was forced to accept the fact that she'd never be able to have a child of her own. Julian and her had planned on adopting, which they would probably still do regardless of the fact that she was pregnant now. They both wanted a big family.

They hadn't shared the news with anyone yet. It was early enough in her pregnancy that she wasn't really showing yet, so keeping it a secret hadn't been much of an issue. Since the whole gang was getting together next weekend for Jamie's birthday, they had planned to tell everyone there.

That was then.

Current circumstances convinced Brooke to put their announcement on hold a bit longer. She didn't want to take the focus off Peyton and more importantly Peyton was the first person (besides Julian of course) that she had been dying to share the news with the most.

 _I will and I promise I won't forget to eat. We love you too._

She finished up her text and hit send.

Brooke really wished Julian was here right now, but he was stuck in LA for the next two weeks wrapping up post-production on his latest film, a documentary this time. He had offered to fly back immediately after hearing about Peyton, but she refused. There wasn't much any of them could do for Peyton at the moment so it made no sense for him to fly all the way out here. Instead she told him to finish his work and hurry back to her.

Figuring she better do good on her promise Brooke nudged Lucas lightly until he began to stir.

He instantly snapped up looking alert. "What? Did I miss something?" He shouted in a panic.

"No calm down. I'm gonna go get something to eat. I'm starving. Do you want something?" She questioned.

"No I'm not really hungry." Lucas replied settling further into his seat.

"You have to eat something Luke. At least let me bring you back a coffee and bagel."

"Fine. Okay, thank you." He relented. He really didn't want anything, but whether he said yes or no he knew she was gonna bring him back something anyway.

"Good." She stood up smoothing out the bottom of her dress. "There's a 24 hour diner a few blocks down. I'll be back soon. Hang in there." Brooke reached out giving Lucas' shoulder a light squeeze before exiting the area.

* * *

 ** _New York City – May 2013_**

 _Peyton giggled slapping Lucas' hand away from her naked thigh. "You really are going to be the death of me." She muttered removing her sticky body off from his and rolling on to her back._

 _Lucas pouted from the separation. He rolled on to his side to look at his wife, her head a mess of blonde curls with a fair amount sticking to her sweaty forehead. "Death from too much sex is not a thing Peyton. But if it was…that's a hell of a way to go. Imagine my tombstone…" He began dramatically. "…Lucas Eugene Scott, devoted husband, beloved son, had sex…a lot."_

 _Peyton rolled her eyes. "You are impossible." She spoke while snatching a pillow off the bed and hitting him in the face._

" _What that I really like sex?" He laughed at her tossing the pillow aside. "Or that I went out with a bang. Literally."_

" _No." She replied unimpressed. "I was referring to the fact that you're so willingly putting your middle name on that tombstone." She said in a straight face before cracking a smile._

" _Very funny." He reached over giving her bare butt a tight pinch._

 _She slapped his hand away again. "Hey you're the one who initiated this whole sex conversation and I hate to break it to you baby but the name Eugene? So not sexy." Peyton shook her head at him teasingly._

" _Everything about me is sexy including my name." Lucas said confidently._

" _Oh is that fact?"_

" _I didn't hear you complaining at any point this morning or last night, or the time before that and the time before that or the time..."_

 _Peyton cut him off narrowing her eyes at him. "Alright wise guy settle down."_

" _Besides we had to christen this brand spankin' new apartment of ours. It was just begging to be violated." He stated defending the sexual marathon they had engaged in for the past 24 hours in their new home._

" _Who are you and what have you done with my husband? I don't recall him ever being this cocky."_

" _Well…"_

" _Don't you dare make a 'that's what she said' joke right now." She threatened already knowing what he was thinking. "And anyway I wasn't complaining! I would just like the use of my legs back at some point this week you pervert."_

" _Walking is overrated." Lucas informed his wife._

" _I'm hungry too." Peyton complained._

" _That's what delivery is for."_

" _I need a shower."_

" _You smell great. You smell like that perfect combination of me and sex. It doesn't get any better than that."_

 _Peyton wasn't giving up that easy. "Well some clothes would be nice though. I'm kind of cold now."_

 _Lucas grabbed her so unexpectedly causing Peyton to squeal. He yanked her in his direction until she was pressed up against him. "You know what else is overrated? Clothes." He was grinning brightly. "I'll keep you warm enough." He shot her a wink._

" _You just have an answer for everything don't you?"_

" _Yep. Pretty much."_

" _I have to pee."_

 _Lucas frowned. "You're on your own." He replied pushing her off him abruptly._

 _Peyton laughed. "Smooth, real smooth." She teased._

 _Lucas shrugged._

" _So speaking of our new apartment…" Peyton rolled back over to him. Lucas automatically wrapped an arm around her. "We should probably get some furniture up in this bitch huh?"_

 _With the exception of the bed they purchased beforehand, the apartment was completely bare. They had spent the past month crashing at Brooke's place immediately after arriving in New York, while they searched for a place to live. Earlier this week they had finally moved into a new place._

 _Lucas groaned. "Can't you do that stuff with Cheery?" He replied referring to Brooke. "You know I hate shopping. I'll be happy with whatever you decide to get."_

" _No way! Absolutely not!" She cried. "Lucas Scott this is our first home together as a married couple. It's special."_

 _Lucas gave her a confused look. "Babe we have a house in Tree Hill." He reminded her._

" _Oh you mean the house your mother left you with all her old furniture and décor still in place?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm._

 _Lucas put a hand to his chest. "You don't like my mother's taste in home décor?" He said pretending to sound offended. "Oh I am so gonna tellllll on you."_

" _Shut up! You know I love that house." She said lightly punching his chest. "I just meant that we're totally starting from scratch here. It's kinda exciting we get to build this new home anyway we want. Together. We never really did that when I first moved in with you. I just kind of brought over my crap and that was that."_

" _Well your crap was a nice touch to the house nonetheless."_

 _Peyton frowned. "Gee thanks. Ass."_

" _Wow I never pegged you to be such a traditionalist." Lucas said incredulously._

 _She punched his chest again. "I have my moments, so sue me. Just humor me okay?"_

" _So…." She began._

" _Okay, okay." Lucas chuckled giving in. "If that's what my girl wants, then that's what she gets. We'll go shopping for furniture together."_

" _And décor." Peyton reminded him._

" _And décor." Lucas repeated._

 _After a moment Lucas spoke again. "Brooke's still coming with us though right?"_

 _Peyton scoffed. "Obviously. Besides painting on walls does it look like I know anything about damn home décor?"_

 _Lucas laughed. "I love you."_

" _I love you more." She replied before covering his lips with hers._

" _Are you glad we moved to New York?" Lucas question pulling back from their kiss._

 _Peyton slowly nodded. "Yea, I really am."_

" _You're happy?"_

" _I'm happy. You?"_

" _Happy." He replied._

 _Peyton sighed. "I wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for you. I don't know how I got so lucky to deserve you, but thank you."_

" _You don't have to thank me for anything."_

" _Are you kidding?" She questioned. "Look we both know this last year I haven't been the best wife or friend. I was a hot mess to say the least."_

" _You were dealing with a lot Peyton." Lucas defended. "Anyone in your situation would have fallen apart."_

" _Yeah but I had you to keep me together." She stated quietly. "You never gave up on me, on us. You never complained once through it all. You carried us through the thick of it when I couldn't. I just need you to know that I've never taken you for granted, not one bit, even when I wasn't my best self back then."_

" _I know that babe."_

" _Good. Just promise me something."_

" _Anything." Lucas replied without hesitation._

" _No matter what life throws our way promise me you'll never give up on me or us. I promise to do the same because I love you Lucas Scott and I know we're gonna be together forever."_

" _I promise." Lucas swore as he took in her lips once more._

* * *

 **New York City – October 2014**

"Huh?" Lucas shook his head retreating from his memory of Peyton. It was one of his favorites. They had never been stronger.

"Are you Lucas Scott?" The doctor in front of him repeated.

"Yes, yes that's me. Sorry about that." Lucas stood up to shake the doctor's hand. He took a glance around the room noticing Brooke hadn't returned yet.

"My name is Dr. Parker. I'm the head of your wife's surgical team. I believe you spoke with Dr. Foster before the surgery correct?"

Lucas quickly nodded. "How is she? Is Peyton going to be okay?"

* * *

A/N: So there you have it, Brooke was introduced in this chapter and we got a sneak peek at Lucas and Peyton's relationship. Expect more flashbacks throughout this story. Next up we'll have Peyton waking up post-surgery.

If you like what you've been reading so far please please let me know with a review! Nothing is more encouraging for a writer than that.

Thanks again!


	3. Always Waiting

Hi loves! Considering I haven't written a new story in years I've been pretty blown away from all the positive responses I've received over the past week from you guys! So thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. this story. It's all been such a pleasant surprise and I've become even more motivated to keep working on this.

I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

Chapter titled track: 'Always Waiting' by Michael Kiwanuka

* * *

Chapter 3: Always Waiting

 **New York City - November 2014**

Two weeks.

Two weeks had come and gone and well…nothing.

The surgery itself had been a success. Everything had gone smoothly and there had been no complications. There had been some internal bleeding and a few bruised ribs, but thankfully there had been no injury to the spine, or any major organ or nerve damage.

The traumatic brain injury was a different story.

The hit Peyton had taken to the back of the head had caused a skull fracture, which result in significant swelling of her brain. The doctors had gone in to repair the damage and relieve the pressure on her brain. Due to the severity of the swelling the doctors had little choice but to place her in a medically induced coma to help minimize the swelling. A week after the surgery the swelling in Peyton's brain had gone down enough to convince the doctors to take her out of the coma. It was up to her now to decide when she'd wake up.

Another week had passed since then and her eyes remained shut.

Brooke Davis looked up from the bathroom sink to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Her knuckles had turned ghost white from gripping the sink so tightly.

She looked terrible. She knew she was vain, but for the first time in her life she really didn't give a fuck about her appearance.

She had been crying – no wait sobbing, to put it more precisely, for the past thirty minutes. She had been strong up until now. She had lasted two whole weeks without completely breaking down.

Ironically, practically living at the hospital these past two weeks hadn't broken her. The sterile walls, the sight of the sick being wheeled back and forth down the halls or even that overly ripe smell most hospitals seem to have in truth had the opposite effect on the brunette. It all left her feeling oddly numb.

For Brooke the switch had flipped now that she was standing alone in Lucas and Peyton's apartment. She had offered to come over and pick up some fresh clothes and other essentials for Lucas, who had understandably refused to leave his wife's side.

She had been strong at the hospital, but being forced to look at Peyton's things, including pictures of her and Peyton placed throughout the apartment left Brooke no longer feeling so numb. The tears spilled quickly, followed by cries that soon turned into uncontrollably sobs as she collapsed weakly on the bedroom floor of the apartment.

Thirty minutes later she collected herself up from the floor and retreated to the bathroom to investigate the damage. Brooke huffed taking in her appearance once more. She reached for the purse she had placed on the counter opening it up as she began to dig through for her makeup and hair brush. She realized now how much she really needed that cry. She had been holding back for far too long and that mixed in with those nasty pregnancy hormones had thrown her in for a loop. The cry had made her feel better, if only slightly.

It was time to put her face back on now. She had to be strong for Lucas. She could not let herself fall apart in front of him right now. It was her job to console him, not the other way around.

After removing the mess of smudged and runny mascara and eyeliner left behind from her tears, Brooke applied some concealer under her eyes and left it at that. Like she mentioned before she really didn't give a fuck at this point. She brushed her hair until she was satisfied she no longer looked disheveled. If only Peyton could see her now. She could easily imagine Peyton dropping her jaw in a comedic fashion from never having seen Brooke Davis appearing so plain looking in her entire life. Brooke slightly smiled at the thought. After putting her things away Brooke exited the bathroom and returned to the bedroom to pack.

An hour later Brooke was back at the hospital. "I'm back." She announced walking into Peyton's hospital room. "Anything?" She asked Lucas as she headed straight for the tiny table in the corner of the room and dumped her bags on top.

"No change." Lucas replied tearing his eyes away from Peyton to look over at Brooke.

"I brought you your things and I hope you don't mind, but I kind of brought some of Peyton's drawings, photos and things. Thought it would be nice to decorate the room a little, you know give it a nice homey feel for when she wakes up."

"No of course I don't mind, in fact it's a great idea. I'd think she'd really like that Brooke, thank you."

"Of course." Brooke sent him a soft smile. "I also picked up some lunch because the food in this place tastes like straight up ass." She winked at Lucas before returning her attention to the food as she pulled containers, napkins and utensils out of a brown paper bag. "Hey P. Sawyer you miss me?" Brooke spoke as she took a seat next to Lucas and handed him his food.

"Thanks." Lucas opened up the container taking a bite of his sandwich. "What happened to you by the way? You were gone awhile."

"There was traffic." Brooke lied and popped a fry in her mouth. He didn't need to know the time she spent crying on his bedroom floor. "Anyway it's actually pretty nice out today. You should take a walk, get some fresh air and clear your head." She suggested. With the exception of Lucas going down to the police station to speak with the police who had been on call the night of Peyton's accident, he hadn't really left the hospital. "It wouldn't be the worst idea."

"The police called me today." Lucas spoke completely changing the subject.

Brooke discreetly rolled her eyes not blind to that fact that he ignored her suggestion. "What did they say?"

"They called about the guy who hit Peyton."

"What, about you pressing charges? I thought that was all squared away."

"Yea…that's not really happening anymore."

Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"He's dead."

The sandwich slipped from Brooke's fingers. "Shit." She muttered reaching over to pick up the mess she made. "What happened? I thought he was recovering well enough." She tossed the sandwich in the trash bin and went back to eating her fries.

"Guess not." Lucas replied with little emotion.

The man who had hit Peyton had not been wearing a seatbelt and upon impact had gone straight through the windshield. A toxicology report had revealed the man's alarming blood alcohol content. Lucas and Brooke weren't aware of the extent of his injuries, but they did know he was recovering in another wing of the Intensive Care Unit. The police were waiting until he recovered enough to bring him in. It took everything Lucas had in him not to march right over there and strangle the bastard who almost killed his wife.

Brooke swallowed hard. "Well that's…that's unfortunate I guess."

"Is it really?" Lucas replied deadpanned.

"Don't go there Lucas." Brooke warned.

"Well excuse me for not crying a river over the man who nearly killed my wife."

"Now hold on there." Brooke spoke while raising a hand. "No one's saying you don't have a right to be angry at him. I'm right there with you. All I'm saying is that's someone's son, maybe husband, brother or father who just died. Someone out there might be hurting right now. Anger shouldn't make you completely heartless." She defended.

"It's not my problem." Lucas grumbled. "Here you can have it. I'm suddenly not so hungry anymore." He shoved his half uneaten sandwich at Brooke.

"Lucas." Brooke began feeling his anger. She should have kept her fucking mouth shut.

"I'm gonna go take that walk you suggested. Watch her." Lucas ordered before exiting.

"Idiot." Brooke scolded herself. "God I'd kill for a shot of whiskey right about now." She groaned feeling defeated.

* * *

Lucas had returned an hour later only to disappear again when a nurse had quickly collected him to go sign some additional paperwork before Brooke could get the chance to apologize.

Brooke continued to sit at Peyton's bedside while she flipped though the latest issue of Vanity Fair. After a few minutes she tossed the magazine aside bored with it. She looked at Peyton noticing how much her complexion had improved in the past week. She was still on the yellowish side, but no longer looked extremely pale. There was some color back in her cheeks and lips.

"Please wake up P." Brooke leaned over to clasp her hand over Peyton's hand. "Kinda going crazy over here when you're not around to annoy." She joked cracking a slight smile. "Once we're able to bust you out of this place we're definitely going on a vacation. Somewhere warm and less…sterile. I'll even let you pick, my treat. Also Lucas is mad at me, so I'm gonna need you to sweet talk him on my behalf."

Brooke sighed sadly. "This is dumb, I know. You probably can't even hear me anyway." She resigned returning to her magazine.

"Hey."

Brooke looked up from her magazine seeing Lucas had returned.

"I'm sorry." They both blurted out at the same time.

"I didn't mean to upset you Luke."

"I know." Lucas bent down pulling her into a hug.

She hugged him back immediately. They were good enough friends at this point to know that no further words needed to be shared.

"Do you think she can hear us?" Brooke wondered out loud motioning over to Peyton.

"I don't know if she can or if it helps her in anyway, but talking to her helps me sometimes."

Brooke nodded in understanding. "Yea, I get that."

Lucas moved up taking the seat next to the brunette. He placed his right hand over Brooke's left hand and intertwined their fingers. "You know it's okay if you wanna go home. I know Julian gets back from LA tonight. You must miss him."

"That's okay." Brooke gave his hand a squeeze. "We already spoke on it. Julian's gonna take a taxi home from the airport, rest a bit and then come join us. He doesn't mind. He knows I need to be here." She reassured Lucas.

"And you HAVE been here." Lucas replied. "You've been a great friend through all this, but I'll be fine. It's getting late and I'll probably just crash soon anyway."

Like that was likely. He hadn't slept much at all really, but Brooke chose not to point out that small fact. "Are you sure?" She was hesitant.

"Positive. Go be with your husband. I know you miss him."

"I don't want you to be alone." She confessed.

"I'm not alone." Lucas shook his head. "I've got Peyton."

"O-kay." Brooke replied giving in. She'd being lying if she said she didn't miss her husband. "But you'll call me right if anything changes or if you need something?"

"I promise."

"And I'll be back first thing in the morning."

"I have no doubt about that." Lucas chuckled. "Now get your ass outta here." He commanded pointing towards the door.

* * *

Her vision was so blurry she had to blink a few times before things cleared up somewhat. She swallowed hard feeling the stinging rawness of her throat. It burned. It burned really badly. Her mouth was so dry, like she'd been busy chewing on sawdust. The rest of her body she noticed felt weak and limp. Peyton didn't know what the hell was going on other than the obvious, that she was currently lying down in a hospital bed.

"You're awake!"

Peyton could make out the relief laced within those spoken words.

Brooke.

She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Peyton carefully tilted her head over spotting her best friend. Her hazel eyes beamed in delight while she smiled down at Peyton.

"Peyton thank god you're okay. Oh hunny we were so worried! We've been waiting for you."

Peyton was about to ask what was going on but stopped short quickly realizing her inability to speak. She choked on her words gasping a little.

"Shit I'm sorry! Of course…." Brooke raced over to grab the water pitcher pouring her a cup. She carefully brought it up to Peyton's lips. "Drink nice and slowly." She politely ordered.

Peyton obeyed taking several short sips. The ache in her throat dulled a little.

"Better?"

Peyton nodded. "Thank you." Her voice was so raspy and low she could barely hear herself speak.

"Oh my god Peyton!" Not being able to contain herself any longer Brooke practically bum-rushed the blonde enveloping her into a tight hug. "I was so worried. I'm so glad you're okay. God you have no idea—" The tears began spilling almost immediately now that the brunette could feel how real this was with Peyton wrapped around her delicate arms.

Peyton felt like she was being crushed. "I…I can't breathe Brooke." She said weakly.

"Right, right I'm sorry." Brooke immediately released her grip and pulled back. "I'm just so happy to see you're awake P. Sawyer." She lifted an arm using the long sleeve of her shirt to wipe away her fallen tears. "How do you feel?" Brooke asked returning the cup back on the table.

Peyton coughed a few times as she cleared her throat. "I feel like an elephant has been sitting on my head." She whispered weakly.

Brooke chuckled. "Well considering the circumstances that's probably normal." She smiled back down at Peyton again, her dimples on full display.

"What happened to me?"

Brooke frowned. "You mean you don't remember?"

Peyton slowly shook her head.

"You were hit by a car about two weeks ago."

Peyton's eyes widen in disbelief.

"We've been waiting for you Peyton, waiting for you to wake up. You were placed in a coma." Brooke informed her.

"We?" Peyton questioned wondering who else was here to see her.

"Shit I'm such an idiot." Brooke slapped her forehead and frowned. "Instead of running my mouth what I really should be doing is getting Lucas and the doctor. They're just down the hall. I'm gonna go run and get them. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Peyton sent her a helpless look.

"Right." Brooke released an awkward chuckle feeling like an even bigger fool. "You're obviously not going anywhere are you…I'll just be right back then." She sighed in embarrassment before departing leaving a trail of clicking heels as she went.

The blonde kept her green eyes glued to the doorway. Not even ten seconds had passed before a man came bolting in the room looking completely frazzled. After his eyes settled on her Peyton noticed the look of relief wash over his facial features. Another man with dark hair came trailing in a few seconds later with Brooke.

"Peyton. Hey." It was all Lucas Scott could manage at the moment. He was so lost for words at seeing her awake. She was back. She came back to him. Everything was going to be fine now.

"Hi." Peyton returned the greeting. Her eyes narrowed slightly while she observed the man staring at her. It wasn't clear to her who he was, but he obviously knew her, well at least her name anyway.

"You feeling alright?" Lucas asked his mind no longer empty. Suddenly several thoughts popped into his head of all the things he wanted to tell her. No, all the things he _needed_ to tell her.

Peyton shrugged. "Okay…I guess. Feeling kind of tired though." He wasn't wearing scrubs like the other man next to him, so it wasn't clear to her whether or not he was a doctor. Then again why else would he be so interested in her well being if he wasn't?

"That's completely normal." At this point Dr. Parker decided to jump in and introduce himself. "Mrs. Scott my name is Dr. Parker." He spoke making his way past Lucas and closer to his patient.

Lucas quickly stepped aside allowing the doctor to do his job. He took a few steps back to join Brooke as she embraced him in a side hug as they watched.

"Welcome back." Dr. Parker added. "Do you understand what has happened to you?"

"Not really, I mean Brooke mentioned there was a car accident."

"So you don't remember any of it?"

Peyton gave him a quick shake of the head.

"Short term memory loss is very common in a case like yours. There's a chance you may or may not remember the accident."

"Okay…"

"I can go over the extent of your injuries now if you'd like." Dr. Parker offered.

"Maybe later?" Peyton winced. "My head feels kind of heavy." She confessed. "Since I woke up actually."

"That's also normal. I'll have a nurse come and see if we can alleviate the discomfort for you a bit. Any other symptoms? Nausea perhaps?"

"Nope just my head."

"And your vision?" He inquired further.

"It could be better." Peyton reluctantly admitted. "I'm not blind or anything, but I feel like I need glasses or something. Is the blurriness going to be permanent?"

 _Also why did you address me as Mrs. Scott earlier?_ His fumble hadn't escaped her. She didn't wanna be rude, but then again wasn't it rude of him not to even bother to get his patients' names in order?

"No need to panic, that's also very standard. It can take awhile for your sight to return to normal, as well as achieving the normal use of basic motor functions. Though from the looks of it, it seems like your hearing is okay, but we'll run some test on all of these things to see where you stand. We'll also have to run some more CT Scans over the next few days to see how your head injury is healing and how your brain is functioning now that you're awake. In the meantime try to relax and I'll have the nurse come over and check on you further. Sounds good?"

Peyton nodded. "Thank you doctor."

"My pleasure." Dr. Parker turned to Lucas. "Lucas if you'll kindly follow me I have that information you requested earlier."

"Of course." Lucas made his way over to Peyton clasping a hand over hers. "I'll be right back okay? Me and Brooke will explain everything, answer any questions you have."

Peyton simply nodded noticing he was waiting for her approval, though she had stiffened a bit at the physical contact. Something felt off and she couldn't quite put her finger on it, well assuming she could even use her fingers at this point. She hadn't tried testing her limbs yet since her body ached all over.

"Everything's gonna be fine now Peyt. I promise." Lucas assured her completely oblivious to Peyton's demeanor. He was just so happy she was awake. "I'll be right back." He repeated giving her hand a brief squeeze before following Dr. Parker out of the room.

Brooke closed the door behind them letting it click softy. She rounded the bed and plopped herself in the chair nearest to Peyton. "It's so good to have you back. It was weird not being able to talk to you and I missed you like hell. Don't you dare put me through that again. I need your flat ass to stay in one piece thank you very much."

"Trust me it's even weirder to wake up and realize you've been gone for awhile."

Brooke released a chuckle. "I guess you win this round then bitch." She smirked.

"Duh." Peyton mocked. "Can I have some more water?"

"Duh." Brooke replied mimicking her best friend. She leaned over to the bedside table pouring more water into Peyton's cup. "By the way you are totally rocking that raspy voice you have going on there, verrrry sexy."

"Well you know me forever the sexpot." Peyton muttered in return.

Brooke stood up and brought the cup of water to Peyton's lips again.

Peyton thanked her after drinking most of it. "So…." She began as she watched Brooke return the cup to its original place before returning to her seat. "That one guy was overly…friendly."

Brooke frowned in confusion. "The doctor?" She couldn't remember at any point where Dr. Parker had behaved unprofessionally. "What are you talking about?"

"You know…that one guy who squeezed my hand. It was kind of weird considering we just met. Though I noticed you two seemed close." Peyton slyly added. She had noticed the two hug at one point. "Dude you come here to see me and you already managed to hook up with one of my doctors?" She teased. "Nice work B. Davis."

A beat passed before Brooke began laughing hysterically. "Okay…WOW…" She took a second to catch her breath shaking her head at Peyton. "…sweetie your vision is way worse than you're letting on." Brooke released a few last chuckles before speaking again. "Ok so first off what in the world would possess you to think that I would ever cheat on Julian?! And second Dr. Parker only wishes he was that lucky, though I will admit he's not horrible to look at. Anyway it was Lucas who was holding your hand silly."

"And Lucas is?"

Brooke paused. "Wait, what?" She frowned. "I don't understand the question."

"Lucas." Peyton repeated the name.

"Yes Lucas what about him?"

"Well for starters is he another one of my doctors? And also who the hell is Julian? You didn't tell me you were seeing someone new. Did you and Felix break up again?"

"What?" Brooke spoke up a little louder sporting a perplexed look across her face. "Screw Julian, he's not important right now. Peyton, it's LUCAS." She reiterated.

Peyton shrugged. "Is that supposed to mean something? Because I'm really drawing a blank here. Have we met before? "

The bottom of Brooke's cherry red lips dropped down a little in awe. Peyton seemed just as genuinely confused as she was. This was not a good sign. She took in a heavy breath. "You're telling me you really don't know who Lucas is?"

Peyton shook her head.

"Okay." Brooke ran a trembling hand through her auburn locks. "I know you don't remember the accident babe, but what's the last thing you do remember? Can you tell me?"

"Ummm I dunno know…prepping for midterms I guess…ummm what else…oh yea Jake has this whole weekend getaway planned soon and I have a pretty good feeling this is it Brooke, like he's gonna finally propose." Peyton grinned at the revelation.

The look on Brooke's face went from utter confusion to completely terrified instantly. She felt like someone might as well have thrown a bucket of ice cold water over her head.

"Speaking of where is Jake?" Peyton blurted out realizing that he wasn't here with her. Had he been hurt too? "Was he in the accident too?" She panicked. "Oh my god is he okay Brooke?!"

Brooke couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. She couldn't shake off the look of pity that appeared over her face while looking over at Peyton. What the hell were they supposed to do now?

Poor Lucas.

This was going to absolutely crush him.

"Oh hunny…" Brooke said sadly mentally preparing herself.

* * *

A/N: So just a quick note in terms of touching upon Peyton's medical condition. In case anyone thought I was being too vague on describing it, it was intentional. I did do some research on head trauma patients, but honestly nothing extensive because frankly I don't have the time to do so and also because I don't really plan on spending too much time in the hospital. For the sake of just moving the story along I plan to move the characters out of the hospital within the next two chapters. Obviously I realize coma patients don't just miraculously wake up 100% fully functional and it takes time to readjust, but let's just ignore that small little detail as I know we all wanna get to the good stuff.

So anyway there you have it! Peyton's awake and she'll be in for a rude awakening in the next chapter.

See you guys next week!

And please continue to review and share your thoughts, questions, etc.!


	4. Am I Awake?

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's time for another chapter, but before ya'll dive in I wanted to give you guys a run down of things that you should be aware of. I plan on keeping in a lot of things from the OTH universe, but there are also plenty of adjustments that I had to make in order for the character's lives to fit within my storyline.

So here's what you need to know:

\- The gang did attended high school together, but Lucas never joined the Ravens and stuck to the river court. So that means that Peyton, Brooke & Nathan had pretty much zero interaction with Lucas during those years.

\- Peyton and Nathan dated from freshman year until junior year and yes they pretty much had the same exact dysfunctional relationship they had on the show. Peyton eventually went on to date Jake from junior year of high school through the majority of her college years.

\- Since Peyton, Brooke and Lucas never became close, there was no love triangle or any major falling out between Peyton & Brooke over Lucas.

\- Haley did still end up tutoring Nathan during their junior year because he was failing. They eventually start dating, but did not get married that year. However Haley did get pregnant during their senior year, they got married the summer after graduating and had Jamie their freshman year at college. Lucas and Nathan eventually began to form a relationship once Haley and Nathan got married and are now very close.

-Nathan did push Haley to pursue music during their junior year and she did go on that tour with Chris Keller, but she never kissed Chris, and her and Nathan did the whole long distance thing until she got back from tour.

-Peyton and Brooke never formed a friendship with Haley during high school, that happened later on once Lucas & Peyton started dating.

-Since Nathan and Haley didn't get married til after graduation there were no money issues that forced Nathan into the whole point shaving scandal. Nathan went to Duke (as did Haley) and eventually went pro. There was no dark period for Nathan and no crazy nanny Carrie drama or anything.

-Since Lucas never pursed ball outside the river court, he did go to UNC as originally planned to become a writer. In my story his first book Ravens is not about Peyton (since he barely knew her back then), but is instead about growing up under the shadow of the father who abandoned him and formed another family. Lucas' second book the Comet is inspired by Peyton once they get together.

I think that's it for now!

Titled track for this chapter: 'Am I Awake?' by They Might Be Giants

* * *

Chapter 4: Am I Awake?

"Umm…so we have a bit of a problem." The corners of Brooke Davis' mouth pulled down into a frown as she stood before Lucas and Dr. Parker.

So yea maybe she had bolted. Okay yes, that's exactly what she had done. After Peyton's major revelation, Brooke had mumbled something lame about forgetting her keys in the car. There was no car by the way; she had opted to take a taxi this morning to avoid having to deal with the headache that is New York City parking, but regardless of that Brooke had latched on to that pathetic excuse and hightailed it outta there making a mad dash for Dr. Parker's office.

Because what exactly do you say to a person who believes she's currently living a time in her life that ended years ago? Especially if said person is now married to someone else? Peyton and Lucas didn't even know each other at that point. Hell Brooke didn't even know Lucas back then either. Sure they had all gone to high school together, but had rarely crossed paths much during those four years. If she was completely honest with herself Brooke had been so caught up in her own world back then that she couldn't recall if Lucas and her had shared any classes in high school. Though the odds led her to believe that they probably had; Tree Hill High wasn't that big of a school.

The only thing Brooke had known about Lucas Scott back then was that he was Dan Scott's not-so-dirty little secret bastard, making him Nathan Scott's half-brother. Back then Nathan had never bothered to spare Lucas even a glance and so of course the rest of the popular clique had followed suit. Though that would eventually change once Haley came into the picture. These days Nathan and Lucas were as thick as thieves.

This was so fucked up.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked looking concerned.

Brooke looked back and forth between Lucas and the doctor. "It's just that I was talking to Peyton back there and um…well there's some…she …she doesn't seem to remember a lot…of things." Brooke replied struggling through her words.

"Well like I mention before Brooke short – "

Brooke didn't allow Dr. Parker to finish immediately cutting him off. "This is much more than just short-term loss doctor."

"How bad could it really be?" Lucas wondered.

"Well for starters I feel like I was just visited by the ghost of Peyton's past." She blurted out feeling frustrated at having to be the one to tell Lucas the bad news. She suddenly wished Haley was here. She'd be better at this.

Lucas paused. "Okay, well what is she not remembering?"

"You." Brooke replied so quietly she couldn't tell if Lucas had heard her or not. She closed her eyes shut while taking in a deep breath.

Lucas' lip twitched slightly.

Brooke reopened her eyes to look back up at him. "Okay don't freak out." She stepped closer to him. "But Peyton doesn't seem to know who you are."

Lucas frowned. "That's impossible." He said sternly. "We were just in there." He added as he pointed down the hall in the direction of Peyton's room. "I spoke to her Brooke; and she spoke to me and she didn't say anything like that." He shook his head furiously at the brunette refusing to believe her allegations.

"She thinks you're another one of her doctors Lucas." Brooke spoke teary eyed.

"That's impossible." Lucas repeated. His mind immediately went back to that room as he tried to think of anything that seemed out of place with his wife. Sure she had looked somewhat frazzled and distressed, but that was to be expected, she did just wake up from a coma and been informed that she had been hit by a car after all. Though Peyton did seem a bit distant when he had briefly approached her. He had expected her to be happier to see him, but he didn't automatically see that as cause for alarm.

All of a sudden he seemed less sure of himself now that the seed of doubt had been planted.

Brooke swallowed hard. "From what I gather it seems like she thinks she's still in college."

Lucas sent her an incredulous look. His eyebrows furrowed unable to comprehend.

Brooke could tell he was this close to completely losing his shit.

"College?" Lucas spoke eventually ending the silence. "But that would mean…"

"I know Luke."

His lips twitched again. "Fucking college!" He shouted. "Is that even possible?" Lucas' head whipped towards Dr. Parker. "Could she really lose such a big chunk of time just like that?!"

"Brooke are you certain about this?" Dr. Parker asked looking over at Brooke skeptically.

Brooke nodded. "Positive." There was no doubt about it.

"I mean anything is possible, but to be honest I've never come a across a case where a patient has developed such significant memory loss. Normally they'll forget a few hours, days, weeks, in rare cases sometimes months. I did have one patient awhile back who lost an entire year of his life, but that's extremely rare."

"So it's not possible then, right? She could just be confused? Maybe the drugs are making her loopy?" Lucas questioned.

"Now I didn't say that." Dr. Parker replied. "The brain is a very intricate and complicated organ. I mean there are still things about brain function that still baffle the science community today. We don't know how to explain 100% how it works. So for lack of a better term…it's not not possible." He concluded. "We won't know anything for sure until we speak to Peyton and run some scans."

"But she'll get her memories back right? All this is just temporary right?"

"I can't answer that question for you Lucas." Dr. Parker replied. "That is up to Peyton's brain. She may have full recovery of her memories, or she may only get pieces of it back, or she might not ever get back what she lost. I wish I could tell you more, I really do."

Lucas shook his head. "No you don't understand she HAS to remember. You have to do something!" He was practically yelling the last part.

"Lucas calm down." Brooke said softly putting a hand on his arm.

Lucas shrugged it off. "You have to do something." He ordered pointing a finger at the doctor.

"I can't do anything more than what I already have Lucas."

"No you don't understand! When my wife was in college she hadn't met me yet. We weren't even living in the same fucking state!" He huffed in anger. "And…and she was with…she was…" Lucas fell silent realizing what that meant.

 _She was happily shacked up and practically engaged to Jake Jagielski._ Brooke silently finished Lucas' words in her own head.

Lucas turned back to Brooke unable to finish his sentence, but still looking for confirmation and yet dreading it at the same time. "Brooke?" He questioned looking fearful.

Brooke sadly nodded. His tone sounded like he was in pure agony. It broke her heart.

"Shall we go and talk to Peyton now?" Dr. Parker suggested. "Or do you need a minute Lucas?"

Lucas quickly shook his head. "I'm fine." He gritted through his teeth, an obvious lie.

"Lucas maybe you should let Dr. Parker speak with Peyton first so she won't feel so overwhelmed. I didn't tell her anything." In fact the only thing she had told Peyton was that Jake wasn't involved in the accident since the blonde had started to freak out over it. Though when Peyton continued to pester her about Jake's whereabouts, Brooke had simply glossed over it and had made her haste escape. "I'll wait out in the hall with you." Brooke suggested.

"Like hell I am!" Lucas said angrily and brushed past her without another word.

Dr. Parker was quick to follow after him.

"Yea I thought you'd say something like that." Brooke mumbled to no one in particular. She didn't take it to heart though, she knew Lucas wasn't directing his anger towards her and Dr. Parker on purpose.

Brooke heard her name being called out after stepping out into the hall. She turned around and smiled. "Hi baby." She felt a little lighter upon seeing her husband with his brown messy hair and lips curved into a half smile as he greeted her. She rushed straight towards him throwing her arms around his tall frame and sinking her face into his chest.

"You doing okay?" Julian hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you." She muffled through his shirt refusing to pick up her head. Even though he was still probably exhausted from flying in last night, Julian had been running around this morning taking care of some errands on her behalf. She had been grateful when he offered to do so. It was one less thing she needed to worry about.

"You saw me this morning." He teased placing another kiss on her head. "I got your text. Is Peyton really awake?"

Brooke took in his scent one last time before reluctantly ending their embrace. She nodded.

"That's wonderful news."

"Oh baby you don't even know the half of it." Brooke sighed. She began playing with the collar of Julian's shirt, while his hands rested on her waist.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"I mean physically she's fine I guess, but…"Brooke shook her head refusing to get into it right now. She needed to get back to that room. She sighed again. "I'll explain everything later. I promise." She lightly tapped his lips with hers. "But I should really get back in there. Peyton needs me. Do you mind waiting out here? I don't want to overwhelm her too much." The last thing Peyton needed was another stranger peering while they were about to drop the mother of all bombs on the blonde.

"Of course. I'll be in the waiting room then." Julian replied without missing a beat. "Should I call Nathan and Haley to let them know that she's awake?"

Brooke quickly shook her head. "Not yet."

"Okay."

"Thank you." She kissed him again. "I love you so much husband." She meant every last word, now more than ever.

* * *

By the time Brooke made it back to Peyton's room she found Dr. Parker and Lucas idly standing by waiting for Peyton's nurse to finish checking her vitals. Peyton looked bored as she watched her nurse shuffle about while answering the nurse's questions in an apathetic manner. Brooke was well aware of Peyton's strong disdain for hospitals since childhood after witnessing her own mother die in one – from a fatal car accident no less. Brooke was at least thankful history hadn't repeated itself and her best friend was still breathing. Peyton's indifference was just her attempt to cover up her discomfort with being confined to that bed.

A few minutes later the nurse wrapped things up and exited the room, not before giving Peyton some medicine to help with the pain of course. The second the nurse stepped out of the room Peyton's demeanor appeared to go through a rapid transformation as she peered at the three of them. She no longer looked bored, but instead extremely perturbed as she narrowed her eyes at the group.

"Okay what the hell is going on?" She blurted rather loudly.

Peyton may have a major case of amnesia, but she was certainly no fool Brooke quickly observed. Not that the brunette was at all surprised really. Peyton was a freakishly perceptive person; she had always been that way. Of course Brooke didn't doubt that her disappearing act moments ago had probably been the dead giveaway that something was up. Clearly not her finest moment.

A brief awkward pause passed between the foursome before Dr. Parker spoke up first. "Mrs. Scott–"

"Sawyer." Peyton interrupted him. "My last name is Sawyer." She corrected him. "I noticed you calling me Scott earlier as well."

Dr. Parker paused his mouth slightly opened before closing again. "Peyton." He spoke addressing her by her first name this time. "Since you're experiencing some memory loss there are some questions I'd like to ask you if that's okay."

Peyton frowned in response. She could tell the doctor was stalling, but she decided to go along with it. "Fine." She agreed keeping her attitude in check.

"Tell me about yourself."

Peyton looked over at Brooke who sent her a silent plea while nodding at her. Peyton rolled her eyes but proceeded nonetheless. "Is there anything specific you'd like to know doctor?"

"Whatever comes to mind."

Peyton sighed and did exactly just that. "I'm originally from Tree Hill, North Carolina, but live out here in LA now. I'm a sophomore at UCLA and I've been interning at this record label for over a year. I've got two dead moms and a dad that works on a drudging boat. Oh yea and I'm a natural blonde." Peyton snarkily added the last bit forcing Brooke to stifle a laugh.

"Anything else?" Dr. Parker pressed.

"Nope." She replied making sure to pop the p. "That's me in a nutshell."

"How old are you Peyton?"

"19."

"What year is it?"

"2006."

Peyton's frown deepened as she noticed Dr. Parker and the guy Brooke had identified as Lucas share a look. And it wasn't a pleasant one. "So are we done with this round of interrogation or what? I can just feel that something's not right and the silence is really starting to freak me out." She was agitated now. "Is something wrong with me doctor? Is it my head?"

The men shared another look before turning their heads back to Peyton. "Peyton do you recognize the man standing next to me?" Dr. Parker question as he motioned over to Lucas.

Peyton's green eyes jumped up making contact with Lucas'. "Yes." She replied while giving Lucas a curious look.

"You do?" Dr. Parker said while his face pulled into a frown.

A flash of hope quickly appeared across both Brooke and Lucas' faces.

Peyton nodded. "Yes. He was here with you earlier." She explained. "Brooke told me his name is Lucas."

That flash of hope disappeared just as quickly.

Lucas felt his shoulders grow heavy.

"Are you also a doctor?" The blonde question observing the troubling look displayed across his facial features.

"No Peyton, I'm not." Lucas replied. He walked over taking a seat next to her bed. He was tempted to take a hold of her hand as he revealed the news, but quickly rejected the thought. He swallowed hard. "My name is Lucas Scott and we're married. I'm your husband."

He waited patiently for a reaction. He watched as Peyton's face slightly scrunched up in consideration before sending him a dubious look. She didn't look impressed as she looked over at Brooke silently.

"Is this some kind of joke?" She questioned finally speaking seconds later, though for Lucas it had felt excruciatingly longer than necessary. Not that he thought she would just miraculously accept this new information.

"I'm afraid not Peyton." Dr. Parker replied. "It seems like the accident has stolen away a significant amount of your memories. It appears as though you've lost a lot of time, more than we could have ever anticipated."

Peyton glanced away from Dr. Parker focusing her eyes on Lucas again. She shook her head while releasing a nervous chuckle. "That's impossible." She flatly told him. "I can't be married to you. I live with my boyfriend Jake here in LA and we're getting engaged. Soon." She chuckled again. "I don't even know you."

"Now Mrs. Scott…" Dr. Parker began.

"That's not my name!" Peyton snapped at the doctor. "I'm not crazy. I know what I know, and I know I'm with Jake. And I wanna see him now." It wasn't a request. It was an order. She demanded it.

Lucas' lips twitched at the second mention of Jake. Despite Brooke's warning, he really couldn't believe that his wife had her head stuck so far in the past. And even though he knew it wasn't Peyton's fault, it still didn't make it any easier having to hear her seek out another man.

Another man she was convinced she was still in love with.

He wanted to scream.

Lucas Scott was far from an aggressive man, but in this moment there was nothing he wanted to do more than grab Peyton by the shoulders and shake some sense back into her. She was his and vise versa. It hurt too much to think otherwise. It also angered him. He'd just spent two agonizing weeks fearing that he might never again look into those green eyes he loved so much, only now to have those same eyes looking back at him with zero recollection of the time they'd shared loving one another?

What kind of cruel fucked up twist of fate was this? Peyton was right; this had to be some kind of joke.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Even worse was the thought that Peyton might never recover.

What then? Was starting over really an option?

He knew this wasn't the right time for pondering over every single little notion that was currently running laps around his head. There'd be time for that just not now.

Right now he needed to convince his wife that her current reality was completely misguided. And he had to do it gently.

"Yes Peyton you're right." Lucas spoke to her.

Both the doctor and Brooke sent Lucas a puzzled look.

"In 2006 you were living in Los Angeles. You were in college and yes you lived off campus with your then-boyfriend Jake Jagielski."

"I feel like there's a but coming on…" Peyton had an eyebrow raised in suspicion. She wasn't sure if Lucas was toying with her.

A small smile formed on his lips. "But…"

Peyton frowned.

"…it's no longer 2006. Which means you graduated from college, you left LA and you eventually went on to meet me."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's November and the year is 2014. You're no longer 19. You're 27 years old and we are married and living together in New York City. You are staying in a hospital in downtown Manhattan right now, not LA."

"That's…" Peyton looked down at her hands and began playing with them apprehensively. "That's crazy." Her voice was weak. They had no reason to lie to her really, but it didn't make accepting it any easier. If it was true, then that was a lot of time to have slip through her fingers.

"It's not crazy and no one thinks you're crazy for that matter." Lucas reassured her. "None of this is your fault."

 _Because it's mine for pushing you away that night._ Lucas thought to himself.

"I just…I just don't see how this is possible." Her eyes were still glued down to her hands. Peyton figured if she didn't look at them then she didn't have to accept what was happening around her. Perhaps this was all a bad dream and she would wake up later in the right time where she belonged.

"It's gonna be okay hunny." By this point Brooke had knelt over to Peyton's side and took her hand in hers. "I know it's a little surreal right now, but Lucas is telling you the honest truth." She figured Peyton might take the news better with a little reassurance from her. After all Brooke was the only person in the room Peyton knew for sure. "We'll figure this all out together." She promised her.

Peyton shut her eyes tightly as a tear escaped and slowly trailed down her face. She bit her bottom lip as she struggled to take in a deep breath. "I need some sort of proof." She stated after reopening her eyes to look at Brooke. She felt more comfortable looking at the brunette than she did with Lucas right now.

"Huh?" Brooke shook her head not understanding.

"Proof." Peyton repeated. "Anything really, I just need to be sure what you're telling me is real." She confessed.

"Peyton –"

"Please." The blonde pleaded. "I know it's stupid, but I need this."

Brooke nodded. "Okay." She replied withdrawing a sigh as she lifted her knees off the floor to stand up.

"This will probably help." Dr. Parker stated as he reached into the pocket of his white coat producing a folded up newspaper he had been reading through on his way to work this morning. He went about unfolding it before handing it over to Peyton.

And there it was in plain sight displayed across the top of the paper. Peyton read the date that indeed confirmed Lucas' words. It really was 2014 and now she was lost for words.

You couldn't argue with facts. 8 years had passed in a blink of an eye and she couldn't recall one single moment that had occurred within that time.

Shit.

* * *

Alright kids there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed this installment. Next time we'll have a bit of some one-on-one Leyton time.

Once again I just wanna give a big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to check out this story. I've enjoyed all the wonderful feedback and support I have received so please keep it up! Yesterday I had some time to write back to those of you who have reviewed, but for those who had commented as guests (and so I can't get back to you directly) I just wanted to say thank you as well.

If you guys have any questions, comments, or ideas of what you're looking forward to seeing in this story or if you just wanna say hi, please don't hesitate to hit me up with a review or PM!

Until next time loves!


	5. Tell Me A Story

Hope everyone is having a great week! Once again I've been blown away by all the great feedback I've been receiving so please keep it up!

One particular guest reviewer commented on how realistic my portrayal of Peyton's memory loss based on his/hers own personal experience. That was pretty incredible to hear considering I have no personal experience with the topic myself, but apparently I'm doing something right so thank you whoever you are! I was very touched by that comment.

A lot of you have also been asking whether or not Peyton will regain her memories. You'll just have to keep tuning in to find out! I can tell you however that I decided pretty early on (even before I started writing the first chapter) on what would be the end game for Peyton regarding her memory loss, but of course since I'm writing this as I go that could totally change depending on where this story takes me.

And yes we will eventually find out about what happened with Jake and everything else within the past 8 years as the story moves along.

This chapter ended up being very long, much longer than planned. I had a completely different outline for this chapter to be honest. I knew I wanted some Leyton, but I also had a couple of other scenes that I wanted to include. However once I started writing, the Leyton scene kind of took over and I didn't want to cut anything out so I had to push back some things for the next chapter. I had a lot of fun with this one. I even threw in some Leyton bits from the OTH pilot, see if you can spot them!

Well I think that enough stalling for now! Enjoy loves!

Title Track for this chapter: 'Tell me a Story' by Phillip Phillips

* * *

Chapter 5: Tell Me A Story

He'd been banished.

Although Peyton hadn't directly told him to get the fuck out or anything, she'd insinuated just as much when she had expressed the need for some space to process it all. Deciding to respect her wishes the trio had filed out of the room leaving her be.

So after basically getting kicked out, Lucas and Brooke had retreated to the waiting room where they joined Julian. About an hour ago Julian had escorted Brooke back to their apartment after Brooke complained that she wasn't feeling that great. They had promised to return later this evening to check on Peyton.

Sitting off in the far corner of the waiting room, Lucas mulled over what his next interaction with Peyton would be like. In many ways he was almost dreading it. After revealing who he was to her, she had shied away from any eye contact with him. He didn't even know how he was supposed to act around her now. Physical contact of any kind was clearly out. He wouldn't be able to hold her, kiss her or hug her like he really wanted to right now. Any terms of endearment probably wouldn't be well received either. But Lucas couldn't just very well behave around her like she was some kind of stranger or acquaintance either. That would be too weird. He knew his wife inside out. She was practically his other half. They fit together smoothly like the perfect jigsaw puzzle.

But now those puzzle pieces had been altered into something completely different; into shapes that no longer snapped in place like before. And unless Peyton regained her memories those pieces might never achieve that perfect fit again.

At this moment Lucas really envied Brooke. She didn't have to alter anything about her relationship with Peyton.

Peyton still remembered her best friend. Brooke was free to ease Peyton's mind in all the ways he wasn't able to right now. He was a complete stranger and he fucking hated it.

How long would it be before she would remember him? Remember everything? How long before she was willing to see him again? Would she be willing to hear him out?

Lucas had a lot of fucking questions running through his mind, but unfortunately he was lacking any answers. At least answers that made sense anyway. Little did he know how soon at least one of his questions would be answered when he felt a small tap on his shoulder startling him out of his thoughts.

There was the blonde in question trying to get his attention. "Oh sorry." She winced apologetically after making him jump in his seat. "Didn't mean to sneak up behind you or anything." She moved and stood in front of him.

"No it's okay." He looked up at her. She looked so tiny in her hospital gown. "I was spacing. I didn't even hear you coming."

Peyton slowly nodded.

"Is everything okay?" He said with concern.

She nodded again. "Actually I was looking for Brooke. Is she still around?"

His heart sank. She wasn't here to see him.

Lucas kept a straight face however hiding his disappointment. "No." He replied shaking his head. "She wasn't feeling well so she went home. She'll be back later tonight though."

"Oh." Peyton said quietly looking disappointed.

"Is there something you needed? Maybe I can help?"

"No, that's okay. I'll figure it out." She shook her head quickly and made a move to walk away.

"Wait!" Lucas jumped up blocking her path. "I'm here for you Peyton." He reminded her. "Please." He pleaded.

Peyton shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Okay." She said her eyes making direct contact with his.

Lucas sighed in relief. It was minimal progress, but at least she was willing to look at him again. It was something.

"It's stupid really…" She muttered nervously. Lucas noticed how she absent-mindedly reached across her chest to scratch an imaginary itch on her upper arm. It was a little habit of hers. She only did it when she was feeling extremely awkward or nervous.

That small motion gave Lucas hope. Even with her amnesia Peyton was still acting like Peyton.

"…I'm just kind of hungry. Starving really." She confessed. "I was gonna ask Brooke if she could get me food, but I can just wait for the nurse to bring me something I guess…"

"Okay, yeah." Lucas replied excited at the prospect of being able to spend some time alone with her. "There's a cafeteria on the fourth floor. I'll take you. We can eat there."

Peyton hesitated. "I wouldn't want you to go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble." He said quickly.

"Really though I can just wait for the nurse." She argued.

"The food in the cafeteria isn't 5 stars or anything, but I promise it'll be at least ten times better than whatever the nurse will bring you." Lucas replied trying to reason with her. "Besides I know you're just itching to get out of that room anyway."

Peyton looked down sheepishly. "And how would you know that?" She asked shuffling her feet a bit before lifting her head back up to meet his.

"I know everything about you."

"Oh, right." She breathed out slightly blushing at his words. He was her husband, she had nearly forgotten. Of course he would know many things about her. It was going to take a while to get used to the idea that she was no longer a teenager, but a very real adult who had gone off and done one of the most adult things one could think of – marriage. "Ok then." She reluctantly agreed nodding her head. He was right on the nose. She did want to get out of that room. She hated hospitals. It was all so confining, even more so now that she had no idea who she really was anymore.

"Great!" Lucas replied. "Follow me." He stepped aside motioning for her to walk beside him as they weaved their way out of the waiting room and down the hall towards the elevators in silence. "How's your head by the way?" He questioned once the pair had made their way inside the elevator and the doors closed. There was no one else riding but them.

"Manageable. Whatever the nurse gave me did the trick." Her hands were at her sides clutching and pulling at the bottom of her gown suddenly realizing how very naked she felt. Peyton wondered how soon she'd be able to wear normal clothes. A nice band tee and jeans would pretty much be heaven right about now.

Lucas pretended not to notice. He figured it was smarter to play it that way and not further her discomfort. He was still somewhat shocked she had agreed to come to the cafeteria with him.

Neither spoke another word as they waited for the elevator to make the short trip to their destination. When they arrived on the fourth floor they quickly exited the elevator and Lucas continued to lead the way.

A few minutes later they both stood in line as Peyton picked a few items and placed them on her tray. "Are you not eating?" She asked noticing he had only grabbed a bottle of ice tea.

"I'm good for now."

She nodded sliding down her tray towards the register.

"That'll be $16.50." The woman behind the register announced after ringing up their items.

Peyton froze realizing she didn't actually have any money on her. "Uh…"

"I've got it." Lucas spoke producing a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and handing it over to the woman.

"Thanks." Peyton relaxed her shoulders dropping. "I'll pay you back…as soon as I figure out where I keep my money. I do have a job right?" She frowned in thought. In her mind she was still an unpaid intern, it would have been tragic and outright pathetic if she hadn't moved up in her career by now.

Lucas laughed. "Yes, you have a job." He reassured her. "Anyway you don't have to pay me back considering it's our money." He took his change from the woman slipping the money back into his wallet before placing the wallet into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Right…" The blonde timidly replied though understanding what Lucas was getting at. The words married flashed inside her mind. She released a tired sigh picking up her food tray as she made her way to the nearest unoccupied table not bothering to check if Lucas was following.

She took a seat and Lucas sat across from her. "Well regardless of that fact thanks for paying anyway."

"Anytime."

Peyton silently watched him take a sip of his drink. Lucas sent her a smile when he noticed she had been watching him immediately forcing the blonde to return her gaze towards her food. She had chosen a mini pepperoni pizza, a small side of mac and cheese, a small bowl of French onion soup, and finally a bottle of Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. She had no idea if she was even cleared to eat such things right now, but she was feeling down on her luck with the whole memory loss thing so why the hell not? She needed a pick me up. Right now food was the comfort she sought.

So that's exactly what she did. She focused on her food though eventually curiosity got the best of her and she began to observe Lucas out of the corner of her eye. Even Peyton couldn't deny that her supposed husband was handsome. He was very handsome actually if she was being completely honest. If this had been under normal circumstances and she had met Lucas out at a party or something, Peyton would have been instantly attracted to him. For example, his hair was just the right length she liked where she could run her fingers through it; he also had really nice arms – she had always had a thing for nice strong arms – and finally she was quite fond of his smile. It was nice. And that light scruff he was sporting? It was maybe kind of sexy. He wore it well.

Yes, if they were meeting for the first time she would have definitely been all over that. But instead the thought of him being such an important person in her life scared the hell out of her. Since she had married him he was obviously an important part of her life, and if she was being honest again Peyton wasn't quite ready to open that door. She still hadn't quite accepted the fact that her old life was over. It didn't feel over, it felt like it was still very much now and not then.

So yes, Lucas Scott terrified her. In the end it didn't matter how attractive he was.

"How's the food?" Lucas questioned breaking the silence between the two.

"Better than anticipated especially since you gave it such rave reviews." She quipped.

Lucas chuckled while he turned the bottle cap from his drink between his fingers.

"I'm happy to run out and get you anything else if you can't stomach this. There's a ton of restaurants in this area." He offered.

He was just so damn genuine about it too that it made Peyton feel guilty. Lucas seemed like such a nice guy and here she was eager to make a run for the hills. She felt even worse because the only guy on her mind right now was Jake – not that she was about to tell Lucas that. Something told her he probably wouldn't be thrilled to hear that.

Peyton wondered where Jake was at the moment and why it hadn't worked out between them. She had always thought he'd be the one. They had talked about eventually getting married once college was over.

It was driving her crazy really.

Earlier she had debated calling him, assuming of course he still had the same cell number he had in 2006. She hadn't of course. She needed more information that hopefully Brooke would be able to provide before she even dared to reach out to Jake.

However there was one thing about Lucas Scott that Peyton did remember and she figured now was as good a time as any to let him know.

"This is fine, really." She assured him as she took another bite of her pizza. "I remember you, you know." She informed him after a beat.

Lucas' eyes widened immediately.

"Shit." Peyton said realizing her mistake. "Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I don't actually remember, remember you." She added quickly rushing her words as she flashed her hands at Lucas in warning. "I just meant that I know who you are."

"Oh." Lucas' face dropped disappointed. "Well if you don't remember me, then what do mean by you know who I am then?"

Peyton played with her fork stirring her mac and cheese a bit. "Well when you first told me your name I knew it sounded familiar, but it wasn't til later that it clicked. We have met before, well sort of…we went to high school together, right?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah that's right." So he wasn't a complete stranger to her then. He'd take it. It was better than nothing.

"I thought so. You're my ex's half-brother." She paused. "Nathan Scott's brother." She added before taking a sip of her soda.

"Also correct."

"Okay, so answer me this then…how in the hell did we end up together? I mean no offense, but I know for a fact that we barely spoke two words to each other through all of high school." She told him bluntly. "Unless you count that one time you practically threw yourself in front of my car. Speaking of please tell me I still have my Comet. I'd just die if adult me was ever stupid enough to get rid of it."

Lucas blinked a few times absorbing her words as his lips pursed. "You actually remember that?" He looked absolutely dumbfounded. Back then Peyton Sawyer had never given him the time of day, so naturally he was surprised to hear this. Plus Peyton had never brought it up before in all their years together, perhaps though she had been too embarrassed to bring it up. This Peyton however clearly wasn't. "Um excuse me but if I remember correctly, which I do seeing how I'm the one who almost got struck, you almost ran me over because you were too busy to keep your eyes on the road." He corrected her in a teasing manner.

Peyton parted her lips and paused before closing them again. Now that she thought about it she had been digging around for a CD while driving home that night from yet another Raven's basketball game. "Well you weren't paying attention either!" She retorted. "You were too busy dribbling a basketball to notice. Didn't your mother teach you to look both ways before you cross a street?"

Lucas sent her an amused look.

Peyton felt her face growing hot. "Besides I didn't actually run you over. I hit the breaks in time." She defended and took another sip of her soda.

"Yea and then you still didn't actually talk to me. You shot me an angry look and motioned for me to get the hell out of the way with your hands." He reminded her. "Then you kept driving."

Peyton frowned. "Yea that totally sounds like me." She admitted. "Sorry for being a bitch I guess."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "It was a long time ago, doesn't really mean anything anymore."

Peyton nodded in agreement. "And my Comet?" She asked again hopeful.

Lucas chuckled and nodded. "We still have it. It's in Tree Hill though, having a car in the city isn't that practical so we left it."

Peyton grinned at the news. At least not everything had changed. She still had her car even if it was miles away at the moment. It was a comforting thought, actually if she really thought about it this whole sit down with Lucas wasn't as horrible as she had anticipated. Her game plan had been to eat quickly and scurry back to her room even quicker. But despite the initial awkwardness talking to Lucas hadn't been as difficult as she'd originally imagined. He wasn't pressuring her to remember or desperately cramming memories down her throat. He was respecting her space.

And she was grateful for that.

Perhaps getting to know him wouldn't be completely terrifying. In fact after their playful batter just now, she was genuinely curious to know how they ended up becoming a couple. "So how did we end up getting together then?" She asked suddenly feeling a bit shy over it.

"It was after college." Lucas explained. "We had both moved back to Tree Hill right after graduation while we were figuring out our next moves. I was coming back from UNC and you moved back from LA. Your car broke down in front of my mom's café one day and you came inside to wait until someone picked you up. I was working at the café that day and offered to look at your car. It just kind of progressed from there." He decided to keep it short and sweet for now. If Peyton wanted more details she'd ask.

Peyton nodded as she worked on her soup. "Okay, tell me more about that day then." She requested as she crumbled up a cracker and sprinkled it over her soup.

"Yeah?"

"Sure." She nodded again. "Maybe talking about things might help trigger something." She was willing to try anything.

* * *

 ** _Tree Hill, North Carolina - June 2009_**

" _Are you freaking kidding me!" Peyton banged her fist against the steering wheel of her car in frustration. Her car had been running just fine only five minutes ago. She had driven into town to pick up a record that Max had special ordered for her at the store. Eager to have a listen she immediately hopped back into her Comet only to discover that it refused to start up again. "Just great." She mumbled yanking the keys out of the ignition and slamming the door behind her after exiting the driver's seat. Seeing how she didn't know a damn thing about cars she didn't even bother popping the hood to investigate._

 _Now she wasn't sure what to do. There was no one to pick her up really. Her dad was out of town this week for work and she really hadn't kept in touch with anyone from high school with the exception of Brooke, who no longer lived in Tree Hill. Since moving back to Tree Hill she had run into a few of her old classmates and had even met up for drinks a couple of times to catch up, but for the most part Peyton had been keeping to herself. She had moved back home to recharge her batteries and refused to become reattached to her hometown because she didn't intend on staying long. She just needed to figure out what her next move was now that she was done with school and had stupidly quit her job in LA at the record label. Peyton wondered at least once a day if she had made a terrible mistake leaving that job._

 _But she knew it hadn't been._

 _She didn't regret walking away because after four years of working there she had grown to absolutely despise the business that handled the thing she loved the most. Peyton still knew she wanted to work in the music industry, but there had to be a better way. So until she figured that part out she had little choice but to return home and take advantage of rent free living under her dad's roof. Though she probably should get some kind of summer job in the meantime especially since things were starting to get boring around here._

 _Noticing for the first time that she had parked outside of Karen's Café, Peyton figured she might as well get some lunch while she called for a tow truck. She walked through the doors, a bell chiming as it announced her arrival. Peyton took a look around and spotted an empty table located near the window allowing her to keep an eye on her car. She walked over claiming the table for herself._

 _A couple of minutes later she was greeted by a young boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes. He looked up at her holding a menu in his tiny hands. He greeted her with a great big smile. "Welcome to Karen's Café!" He practically sang out._

 _Peyton laughed as the boy handed her the menu. "Well what do we have here?" Peyton guessed he was about 4 or 5 years old._

" _Do you want anything?" He asked excitedly._

 _Peyton was about to reply but she was interrupted by another arrival at her table._

" _There you are." The man sighed shooting the kid a disapproving look. "I thought I told you to stay behind the counter Jamie."_

" _You said I could help!" Jamie began to protest._

" _Yea from behind the counter squirt."_

 _Peyton looked at the man. He had the same sandy blond hair and blue eyes as the kid. They looked so similar that she concluded that the he must be the boy's father._

" _But –"_

" _No buts get back there where I can see you J Luke, besides I can't have you scaring away all our customers." Lucas teased._

 _Jamie frowned clearly upset that he couldn't take Peyton's order. "I'm not gonna scare her away." Jamie defended. "I'm much cuter than you anyway, everyone says so." He huffed, but obeyed nonetheless and proceeded to move his little legs slowly across the café and back behind the counter._

 _Peyton laughed out loud. "Wow…"_

" _Sorry about that." The blond sighed scratching the back of his head in embarrassment._

" _It's cool. I'm kind of a fan now to be honest. That's a cute kid you got there."_

" _Oh he's my nephew actually. I'm just watching him for the day."_

" _Really?"_

 _He nodded._

" _Wow he could be like your twin." Peyton replied as her eyes traveled back to Jamie who was busy pouting behind the counter muttering to himself._

" _Lucky him, I'm much better looking than his father." Lucas grinned._

 _Peyton laughed again. "Well now I see where your nephew gets his sass from."_

 _He shrugged. "Anyway I see Jamie already handed you a menu, can I get you something to drink in the meantime?"_

 _Peyton nodded. "Vanilla milkshake."_

" _Coming right up." He sent her a smile before walking away._

 _Peyton couldn't help herself and smiled right back. His smile was kind of infectious._

 _A few minutes later Lucas came back with her milkshake as Peyton was going through her phone trying to find the number for a tow truck._

" _Hey so I couldn't help but notice you might be having some car trouble out there." He set the milkshake down in front of her._

 _Peyton looked up from her phone. "You were watching me?" She raised an eyebrow at him, her lips setting into a slight frown. "Cuz that's not creepy at all."_

 _Lucas paused knowing he had been caught. Now he had embarrassed himself in front of her twice. "I just happened to be looking out the window." He quickly recovered answering her question. "Your steering wheel took quite the beating."_

 _She cringed involuntarily. "You saw that?"_

" _I can take a look at it if you want." He offered. "I know my way around cars."_

" _Really?" She looked up at him hopefully._

" _Totally, just let me know when. You ready to order?"_

 _45 minutes later after Peyton had finished up her lunch they exited the café together to go look at the car._

" _Thanks for this by the way." She told him as she watched him lean over and inspect her car._

" _Don't mention it." Lucas called back as he continued to tinker with her car. "I found the problem." He declared after a few minutes. "Easy fix, you don't need to call anyone. I just need to go get my tools."_

 _Peyton nodded._

" _My car is just down the street. My tools are in the trunk. I'll be back in a sec Peyton."_

" _Wait." Peyton looked at him funny. "How do you know my name?"_

 _Lucas chuckled and shook his head. Of course she didn't remember him. "Uh we went to high school together." He explained. "I'm Lucas…Lucas Scott."_

 _It took her a minute but she finally got it. The other brother, that's right. Peyton shook her head feeling dumb. "Right, I'm sorry. I remember now." He was the guy that everyone had whispered about behind his back. The reject son. "I feel like such a bitch right now and here you are going out of your way to help me out."_

 _Lucas remained silent for a moment making Peyton feel super awkward as they continued to stare at each other._

" _I'll just go get those tools." He finally spoke before walking away._

 _Peyton rolled her eyes and sighed. She wouldn't be at all surprised if he decided instead to mess up her car even further._

 _Lucas returned a minute later and went to work. For the next twenty minutes Peyton listened intently as Lucas explained the issue. At one point he had even handed her the wrench in his hand and put her to work._

 _Peyton had to admit it was actually kind of fun. Lucas seemed like a cool guy and now she kind of felt bad for ignoring him in high school. Not that she owed him anything, he was still a stranger after all._

" _It should start now just fine." Lucas stated as he closed the hood of the car. "Go ahead and try it."_

 _Peyton nodded wiping the grease off her hands with the towel Lucas had given her. She jumped into the driver's seat and turned the ignition. The car started up immediately. "Success!" She laughed shooting her arms up above her excitedly. "Dude you rock." She told Lucas as he made his way to the driver's side and high fived him. "Thank you so much, I so owe you one. I can totally pay you or something." She offered._

" _That's not necessary." Lucas replied."I'm glad I could help."_

 _Peyton nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll see you around then?" She unknowingly bit lightly at her bottom lip looking up at Lucas hopefully._

 _The more she thought about it the more she genuinely liked this guy._

" _I sure hope so." He smiled. "See ya." Lucas added before making his way back towards the café._

 _Peyton watched him disappear through the café doors before turning back to her car. She reached down to buckle her seatbelt._

" _Actually –"_

 _Peyton yelped slightly jumping in her seat. She looked back up to see Lucas had reappeared. "You scared the shit out of me!" She scolded._

 _Lucas gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry." He awkwardly scratched the imaginary itch behind his neck feeling nervous. "It's just that I…maybe, if you still wanted to repay me for fixing the car…uh maybe you could let me take you out sometime…you know if you wanted to of course." Lucas silently cursed himself. Despite being 22 and having dated plenty throughout college, he was still a bumbling mess around girls, but then again this wasn't just any girl._

 _It was Peyton Sawyer._

 _The girl he had crushed on for most of middle school and all of high school. Not that he was ever foolish enough to think that he had a chance back then, but maybe he did now. High school was long over and here she was actually talking to him. Lucas knew he'd kick himself later if he wasted what would probably be the only opportunity he ever got to speak with her._

" _You fix my car and you wanna take me out on a date as repayment?" She chuckled at his logic._

" _It's cool if you're not into it." He quickly replied. "Man I didn't even bother asking if you were single. You and Jake are probably still together right?" He added._

 _Peyton's eyes widened. "God no." She shook her head furiously. "We've been over for a while now. You knew Jake?" She asked a little surprised._

 _Lucas nodded. "A little. We were lab partners for two years. I haven't talked to him since high school though. He was always a nice guy." Yeah Jake was nice alright, but that didn't change the fact that Lucas was secretly pleased that he was no longer in the picture._

 _Peyton nodded slowly. "Yea he is." She didn't feel the need to add anything else. Although her relationship with Jake had been over for almost a year now it still felt weird to talk about him sometimes. She didn't miss him really and she definitely wasn't in love with him anymore, but being back in Tree Hill had made her think of him a lot lately. There were a lot of memories of Jake held in this sleepy town, memories that were dear to Peyton even if it hadn't worked out between them in the end._

" _So anyway…that's me inside your head." Lucas began changing the subject._

" _Excuse me?"_

 _Lucas chuckled. "Your shirt." He explained while pointing at it. "NOFX, You know…" He began singing the song he was referring to._

 _Peyton laughed in understanding. "Yea I know the song."_

" _Well there's this cover band a few towns over and I heard they do NOFX songs, but to country music instead."_

" _Wow that sounds awful." Peyton shot him an incredulous look. "Like really bad."_

" _I know." Lucas grinned. "So you wanna come check it out with me sometime?"_

 _The blonde nodded. "Absolutely." She said with a smile. "I have to personally witness that train wreck for myself." She said in all seriousness._

 _Lucas laughed._

" _Give me your phone."_

 _Lucas obeyed the request and handed his cell phone over. Peyton entered her info and returned it._

" _So call me then."_

 _She didn't even give him a chance to reply, but instead pulled out of her parking spot and waved goodbye as she drove away._

" _Count on it." Lucas spoke even though she was long gone. He looked down at the phone in his hands and smiled._

" _Whoa is the world ending or did I really just see you talking to Peyton Sawyer?"_

 _Lucas turned around towards the café already recognizing the voice. "Hello to you too Hales."_

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah good to see you and all that jazz…now let's get back to the good stuff." Haley James Scott grinned at her best friend and rubbed her hands together in excitement._

 _The bell from Karen's Cafe rang loud and clear. "Mama!" Jamie yelled as he raced out the door._

" _Jimmy Jam!" Haley bent down to receive her son in a hug. "Jamie help mama look for flying pigs in the sky."_

 _Jamie giggled. "Pigs can't fly mom."_

" _Well you could have fooled me especially since I just witness something most people would call a miracle."_

 _Lucas frowned clearly not amused by Haley's antics._

" _What was it?" Jamie asked in awe._

" _Uncle Lucas was talking to a girl he's had a crush on for like ever." Haley explained. "It's kind of sad really."_

" _Oh." Jamie mused not really seeing the importance of it all. "If you're talking about the lady with the curly hair I talked to her first actually." Jamie said proudly causing Haley to laugh. "Uncle Lucas just stared at her when she first walked in. It was weird."_

 _Haley laughed even harder._

" _Alright that's enough." Lucas rolled his eyes._

 _Haley stuck out her tongue at Lucas. "Did you have a good day with Lucas baby?" She asked focusing on her little one again._

" _Uh huh." Jamie eagerly nodded. "Uncle Lucas taught me how to use the cash register."_

" _He did? That's awesome bub! It's time to go though, can you run inside and grab your stuff? Dad should be home soon."_

" _Okay." Jamie replied running back inside._

" _So…don't keep me hanging here! What was that all about with Peyton?"_

" _Oh that." Lucas replied dismissively. "That was nothing."_

 _Haley frowned. "You're really not gonna tell me? You're best friend in the whole world, who for years had to listen to you go on and on about your crush on Peyton? No, I don't think so buddy." She shook her head and pushed her finger into his chest. "What happened? Did she want something? What did you guys talk about? Did she insult you? She did didn't she? Yup that's probably it."_

" _Gee thanks for that boost of confidence." Lucas said sarcastically. "Why would you think that's the only reason she could possibly have to talk to me?"_

 _Haley shrugged. "I dunno call it intuition. Also, she wasn't exactly the most approachable person in high school."_

" _This conversation is so over."_

" _Oh c'mon don't be like that! I'm in this thing with you man. When you succeed, I succeed and all that other supportive crap a best friend is supposed to say. I'm just as excited about this so I just have one question."_

" _Which is?" Lucas eyed her suspiciously._

" _Please tell me you didn't make a fool of yourself."_

" _I was…smooth."_

 _Haley frowned not believing it for second. "I've seen you try to talk to girls Luke, some things just can't be unseen."_

 _Lucas groaned. "Okay maybe I wasn't super smooth, but I recovered."_

 _Haley chuckled. "I knew it. You are so hopeless, you blew it didn't you?"_

" _Now I wouldn't say that…" Lucas grinned holding out his phone in front of Haley._

" _Well would you look at that." She smiled seeing Peyton Sawyer's number across the screen. "My little baby's all grown up." Haley dramatically cried as she pulled her best friend into a tight hug._

" _I hate you." Lucas mumbled hugging her back._

* * *

"So did we ever end up going to see that cover band?" Peyton wondered.

"Yea we did." Lucas confirmed.

"And?"

"Oh they were absolutely terrible, we couldn't stop laughing the entire time. You had a great time though, we both did. It was a really nice first date."

Peyton finished up the last of her soup. "I'm sorry I can't remember." She told him softly.

"You don't have to be sorry. You can't help what happened to you."

"Yea I guess…it's just that I hate feeling so lost. It's like my mind is trapped within itself. It's kind of scary."

Lucas nodded in understanding. "You're not alone in this. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask okay?" He wanted to touch her so badly right now, but he refrained. She wasn't ready.

"Thanks." She took in a deep breath regaining control of her emotions. It was frustrating as hell having to think so hard only to come up empty. She didn't want to feel empty. She wanted to feel like herself again.

The real question was how to go about feeling whole again.

* * *

So in this chapter Peyton is somewhat starting to warm up to the idea of Lucas and we also got a flashback of their beginning.

Next up we'll have a small Naley appearance and all will be revealed regarding Peyton's difficult year prior to moving to NYC.

Once again thank you for all of your support. Please keep those comments coming!

Happy Fourth of July guys!


	6. Lost Souls

It's Wednesday guys so you know what that means: a new chapter!

As always you guys rock with all the amazing feedback so please keep at it. I always get so excited to read them!

Title Track for this chapter: 'Lost Souls' by Raury

* * *

Chapter 6: Lost Souls

"Do you know why I decided to come back home?" Peyton asked Lucas as they rounded a corner and continued walking down the hall.

They had cleared out of the cafeteria about 5 minutes ago. Lucas suggested they take the long way back instead in his attempt to prolong their time together. He had a feeling that once they arrived at her room Peyton would want to be alone again. Peyton hadn't protested at the suggestion since she wanted to stretch her legs anyway. Her movements were currently at a snail's pace since she hadn't used her limbs for about two weeks.

"I mean I thought for sure I'd still be working at Sire Records and even if I didn't get offered a job, why would I just leave LA? The music industry there is huge." She argued. "I never planned on moving back home."

Lucas nodded. "You were offered a job actually. I think if I remember correctly it was after you'd interned with them for about 2 years. They offered you a part-time gig while you were still in school. Then after college the deal was you'd sign on full-time." The blond explained.

Peyton could feel her stomach drop. "So what the hell happened? Why am I not at my dream job? Did I get fired?!"

All her hard work and she had nothing to show for it? What had gone wrong?

"You didn't get fired. You quit." He simply told her.

Peyton's eyes widen. "And here I thought people were supposed to get wiser with age." She muttered.

Lucas laughed out loud.

"That's not funny. You don't understand…music is like my life." Peyton explained. "It's one of the few things I'm really passionate about, without it I…I don't know what else I'd do."

"I do know that." He reminded her. "Listen you quit because well frankly you hated it."

Peyton frowned in disbelief. "How can I hate it? It's all I've ever wanted. I get to be a part of something really special even if I'm only sorting mail and delivering coffee at the moment or at least I thought I was…"

Lucas sent her a look making it clear that he wasn't buying it.

Peyton nodded. "Okay so yea there are a few things that were kind of annoying about my job, but I still loved it."

Lucas released a heavy sigh. "It was a combination of things Peyton. It started up with those small annoying things and it just escalated. Bottom line was that you hated your boss – because he was a sexist asshole – and you also grew to hate the office politics. After four years it left you feeling pretty bitter about the music industry and you felt like there had to be a better way. And that's why you left because you wanted to find a better way – you wanted to put out music that made a difference in people's lives, the way that music did for you."

Peyton swallowed hard.

He was right about that. It was all she ever wanted.

"So I just walked away from it? I just gave up…just like that?" Peyton sighed. She wished she had never initiated this conversation to begin with. So far her future was turning out to be a huge disappointment.

"And why do you assume you're not involved in the music industry? I never said you weren't."

Peyton frowned. "But you said I quit my job and moved back to Tree Hill." She argued. "It's not exactly crawling with opportunities."

"Peyton you do have your dream job." Lucas grinned at her as they continued to walk together. "You own your own record label."

Peyton's jaw dropped. "Get out!" She said attempting to hold back a smile in the process. She wasn't buying it.

"You heard me." Lucas replied. "You started it in Tree Hill and it's been quite successful."

"I have my own record label?" She gawked. "Really?" She was skeptical.

"Really."

She shook her head. "There's no way. I don't know anything about starting – let alone running something like that." She reasoned.

"You figured it out along the way and you did intern at a record label so that kind of helped."

Peyton scoffed. "Yea but what about money? It takes like a small fortune to do something like that. You can't start a business without money and I sure as hell don't have any."

"Brooke loaned you the money. She was the one who encouraged you to start your own label in the first place."

"Okay now I know you're lying. Brooke's been broke since junior year of high school. Her parents lost all their money and even after her dad found a new job they never really fully recovered."

"Yea Brooke's not exactly down on her luck these days."

Peyton's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's like a multi-millionaire. She owns her own fashion line. The one she started in high school."

"Clothes Over Bros?"

"That's the one."

Peyton paused halting her steps. "I mean I remember she was doing well, but not like that well." She mused. "That's incredible."

"I'm sure Brooke can fill you in on all the details."

"Shit she better." Peyton mumbled and began to move again. "So I really own a record company?" She questioned again after a beat.

Lucas nodded.

"So fucking cool!" Peyton excitedly nudged Lucas' shoulder with her fist. "When? How? How many artists do I have? I mean…I have like a ton of questions."

Lucas looked over at Peyton, she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Wait so what do you do?" Peyton said adding on to her pile of questions for Lucas.

"I'm a writer."

Peyton paused in thought. "Like books and shit?"

Lucas chuckled. "Yup pretty much, though I do contribute to some online articles every once in awhile. I'm currently writing my third novel."

"And you actually make money from that?" She asked bluntly. "It's pretty hard being a successful writer, no?"

He smiled shaking his head at her. "I do pretty well, but yes it is hard. I've been pretty fortunate."

Peyton silently nodded. "But I totally make more money right?" She teased. "Like I'm totally your sugar mama. I must be." She said confidently.

Lucas rolled his eyes smiling again over those familiar words. "That's such a you thing to say."

"Why is that?"

"Let's just say it's not the first time you've labeled yourself as my sugar mama."

Lucas and Peyton both looked at each other and shared a smile.

* * *

For the remainder of their short walk Lucas gave Peyton a brief run down on how Red Bedroom Records came about. Much to his dismay they arrived at Peyton's room much too quickly for his liking. Once they had arrived Peyton had thanked him once again for lunch and retreated to her room alone. She hadn't invited him in and Lucas couldn't exactly blame her for that. It was going to take a lot more than one lunch to win his wife over.

After parting ways with Peyton, Lucas decided to take another walk this time outside of the hospital. As he crossed the street he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. He fumbled a bit before finally pulling it free from his jeans.

Haley's name lit up the screen of his phone.

"Finally!" Haley spoke once Lucas had answered the call. "I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past couple of hours!" She huffed.

"Sorry Hales the cell reception in the hospital is kind of shitty." He explained.

"I spoke to Brooke. She told me about Peyton waking up and everything, so I know your head must be completely spinning right now, which is why I can totally forgive you for not calling me."

Lucas sighed. "I'm sorry." He dragged a hand through his short messy locks.

"I don't care about that. I care about you. How are you?"

Lucas paused taking a seat on an outdoor bench. "Well I thought it couldn't get any worse after Peyton was hit. I just kept telling myself that once we got through this everything would be okay. All she needed to do was wake up and it would be okay." He paused again. "And now Peyton's awake and everything's still not okay. And it might never be okay again."

"God I am so sorry."

A moment of silence passed.

"I wish I knew what to say Luke, but I know there isn't anything I could possibly begin to say – but I wanna be there for you, we both do. Why won't you let me and Nathan come up to see you guys?"

"What's the point?" Lucas questioned. "There was nothing you could do while she was in that coma and now that she's awake she doesn't even know you Haley. I mean she knows Nathan, but in her mind they haven't really spoken since high school and they weren't exactly on the best of terms even then." He explained. "As much as I want you guys here I have to think of Peyton. She's already pretty freaked out and I don't want to make it worse."

"I understand. I just hate that I can't be there right now."

"And I love you for that."

"I'm putting you on speaker, Nathan just walked in from dropping off the kids at Deb's."

"Hey man." Nathan's voice rang loud and clear.

"Hey Nate." Lucas greeted his brother.

"I'd ask how you're holding up, but I figure it'd be pretty stupid at this point." Nathan teased. "But whatever you need man, me and Hales are here for you. Just say the word."

"Thank you that means a lot."

"So how's our girl doing?"

"She's…it's kind of weird to explain…it's like she's still Peyton, but at the same time she's not." Lucas confessed. "She's pretty freaked out about the whole thing. I've started filling in some of the blanks about her life, but I think a little part of her is still in denial about the whole thing."

"Well it's good that you two are talking at least." Haley always the optimist pointed out.

"True, she hasn't completely freezed me out like I thought she would, but I can tell that I kind of make her uncomfortable. I think the thought of me – or really the thought of there being an us intimidates her."

"She tell you that?" Nathan questioned.

"No, it's just a feeling." Lucas replied not quite knowing how to put it into words. "Plus I'm not Jake." He scoffed.

"You can't blame her for that." Haley reminded him.

"I don't." Lucas defended. "But I'm still human Hales. It's really hard."

Another moment of silence.

"Anyway how are the kids?" Lucas asked wanting to change the subject. "I miss those little monsters."

"They're great and they really miss you guys too." Haley replied.

"Yea Jamie was pretty bummed you guys couldn't make his birthday." Nathan added. "We haven't told them what's going on yet."

"We wanted to wait until Peyton woke up. I didn't want to scare them" Haley confessed. "Jamie's old enough though that I think it'll be okay. Lydia's only three so I don't think we're gonna tell her at all. She's too young to understand any of it."

"We just told Jamie that you couldn't come because of work. He's been dying to talk to you. He's been kind of pissed we haven't let him call you." He chuckled.

"Tell him I'll call him soon. I promise. I still have his gift at home."

"No you don't." Haley corrected him.

"I don't?"

"Brooke mailed over the gifts."

Lucas chuckled. She must have grabbed it from the apartment without telling him. Thank god for Brooke Davis.

"She's good." Lucas concluded.

"That she is." Nathan agreed.

"Everything going okay with the label Haley?" Lucas had been meaning to ask for a while now. "Maybe we should hire a temp in the meantime?" He knew Haley had to be buried in work now that Peyton was out for the count.

"Yea I've got it completely handled. I don't want you guys worrying about none of that. Peyton can come back when she's ready. If I feel like I need more hands on deck then I'll get someone."

"I told her about the label." Lucas chuckled. "She was pretty blown away. She had a hard time believing it at first."

"I bet." Haley said. "So what year does Peyton think she's in again?"

"2006." Lucas replied.

"That sucks man." Nathan said. "How much have you told her?"

"Mostly just the big stuff so far…that we're married, how we met, about our careers –stuff like that."

"How'd she take the news about Larry? That couldn't have been easy." Nathan wondered.

Lucas gasped feeling like someone had just knocked the wind out of him. Out of all the things that could have slipped his mind it had to be this. "Fuck." He groaned realizing what a terrible mistake he had made. "Fuck me." He cursed again.

An awkward silence passed when it became clear to the couple what was going on.

"Dude you should really get on that." Nathan mumbled awkwardly. "Oww!" He groaned rubbing the side of his torso that his wife had just violently jabbed him in with the use of her elbow.

"What my well-meaning yet every insensitive husband means –"

"Hey!" Nathan grimaced in offense.

"Hush." Haley commanded. "What he meant to say was…you should probably tell her Lucas, like soon."

Silence.

"Uh Lucas?" Haley called out. "You still there buddy?"

"I'm here." He said weakly. "Fuck." He cursed again.

"Why haven't you told her?" Haley asked. She could hear him breathing heavily through the phone. "Calm down and take a deep breath." She instructed.

Lucas obeyed inhaling as much air as his lungs could take. "It wasn't intentional I swear. I've been so busy obsessing over the fact that she doesn't remember me that I didn't even think of all the other shit she's forgotten." Lucas admitted. "I'm so fucked. How am I supposed to tell her?"

"You mean she hasn't even asked for him?" Haley asked sounding surprised.

"No she hasn't, but I mean she only just woke up a few hours ago, plus she's all drugged up and her mind's still spinning from finding out she's lost all her memories – that and the fact that she's so used to Larry being away is probably why it hasn't even crossed her mind yet."

"She'll ask for him eventually." Haley said pointing out the obvious.

"I know. Probably sooner than later too." He sighed.

"You can do this." She encouraged.

"Hales you saw what she was like before and how worse she got afterwards. I don't want to – no I can't put her through that again. I can't watch her go through that again."

"We've got your back man." Nathan spoke. "You gotta tell her."

"You don't really have much of a choice here Lucas." Haley added.

"I know." Lucas nodded to himself. "I know." He repeated. "I'll call you later." He killed the call instantly after spotting Brooke walking towards the hospital's entrance.

"Hey you!" She greeted happily after Lucas ran up to her. "Was just about to look for you. Julian's parking the car." She hugged him. "How's Peyton? Have you seen her since?"

"She's alright I guess though she won't be for long."

"Oh no what's wrong?" She questioned after taking a good luck at Lucas' face. He looked completely dejected. It troubled her.

"Nathan of all people just reminded me of what a fucking idiot I really am or in this case we both are really."

Brooke raised an eyebrow. "And I'm an idiot because…"

"Peyton thought it was 2006."

Brooke slowly nodded in confirmation. "Yeah…I'm pretty sure we established that earlier." She sent Lucas a confused look.

"Larry."

Her hazel eyes widened as her left hand shot up to her mouth in shock.

They really were idiots.

The worst kind.

Brooke turned away from Lucas taking in a breath. Why hadn't it hit them sooner? "Oh my god she still thinks Larry's alive."

Brooke sank to her knees erupting into cries the minute her knees hit the ground.

* * *

Peyton watched the last remaining bits of sunlight disappear over the horizon from her windowsill. After Lucas had dropped her off she has planted herself by the window with no intentions of returning to that bed anytime soon. She'd just spent the last two weeks in bed and she had no idea how many more nights she'd be force to sleep in it until she was released from the hospital.

Lucas had given her a lot to think about after their lunch. Not only had she learned that she'd left California for good, but by some miracle she had managed to start up and run a successful recording label. Everything she had ever wanted was neatly packaged in front of her. Her dreams were no longer dreams, but a reality. Peyton knew she should be thrilled – and yes a good part of her was – but something felt off to her.

She felt empty.

Though Peyton knew a huge part of that feeling was due to the fact that she couldn't remember any of it.

And it made her feel incredibly sad.

Sad that she couldn't remember what had probably been one of the best and exciting points of her entire existence. According to Lucas she had created something amazing and even though it was hers, it didn't feel like it.

Not remembering made her feel like she cheated time and her success felt somewhat undeserved.

Or was it that maybe time had cheated her?

At this point she wasn't able to differentiate the two. She hated the confusion, the frustration, the pain – both mentally and physically. Peyton had never felt so weak.

And speaking of Red Bedroom Records, Lucas had informed her that his best friend had become her partner at the label.

Haley James, who was apparently now Haley James Scott, was someone Peyton vaguely remembered. She did remember that Nathan had started dating his tutor after they had broken up junior year, but apparently now they were married and had two kids. One of those kids was apparently her goddaughter of all things? And just like she had with Lucas, Peyton had never spoken to Haley in high school. But apparently they were like bffs now?

The fact that Lucas and Nathan were on good terms had given her a case of whiplash. She never would have imagined that would ever happen truthfully. Nathan had always been such an asshole in general and even more so to his half-brother back in high school.

Also, Nathan Scott wasn't an asshole anymore?

Shit was just getting weird.

She had almost choked on her own spit when Lucas had told her that bit. And honestly if she saw it she probably still wouldn't believe it. Nathan Scott had never been…nice.

Cocky? Yes.

Charming? Totally when he wanted to be.

Funny? He had his moments.

But nice? Friendly? Considerate? No way in hell.

She'd bet money on that and apparently she had a lot of it now. All because Brooke had taken a chance on her and apparently Lucas had too.

While Brooke had provided the steady cash flow during the beginning, Lucas had been the one who had given her the extra push she needed by providing the physical space that allowed her little business to blossom into something special.

Lucas had convinced his mother to allow Peyton to use the empty space that wasn't being used at TRIC, the nightclub that was owned by Lucas' mother. Karen had been on the hunt for a new club promoter and since Peyton had quite a bit of experience in that area from her days in LA, they had agreed that she would help promote the club and book live entertainment in exchange for the space in the back rent-free.

And so that's how Red Bedroom Records got its start and was still inhabiting part of TRIC today. Though Peyton did eventually start paying Karen rent once she could afford it.

When Peyton had asked Lucas why he had gone through all the trouble to help her considering that at that point in time their relationship had been in its early stages, Lucas' reply had been annoyingly short and straight to the point.

" _Because I believed in you. I knew that if anyone could do it, it was you."_

And that was it. That was all he said. It left Peyton feeling completely stunned afterwards.

The fact that this man had provided an enormous amount of loyalty behind Peyton from the very beginning when he was just starting to get to know her – well it was crazy. It was crazy that he had that much faith in her abilities back then. He must have been crazy and she must have been even crazier or perhaps desperate, or maybe a little bit of both for accepting his help.

Lucas' words had also forced Peyton to think of Jake and their life back in LA. Her thoughts had traveled back to one of the last few conversations with Jake she could remember.

" _You look exhausted." Jake commented after watching Peyton drop her bag on the floor and slump down onto the couch of their apartment._

" _Well good because it matches my crappy mood then." Peyton grumbled sinker deeper into the couch._

" _Bad day at the internship?" He guessed._

 _Peyton groaned. "You know most days I really love it, but sometimes it feels like after being there for over a year I'm not getting anywhere. Everyone sucks and I feel like I'm wasting my time." She vented to her boyfriend._

" _You're not wasting your time." He assured her moving over to sit next to her. "You're doing great stuff over there." He wrapped an arm over her shoulder pulling her close._

" _I'm in charge of coffee and the copy machine Jake." She snorted and rolled her eyes at him before resting her head against his chest._

" _It's called paying your dues hun."_

" _I know that." She said rolling her eyes again._

" _You'll get more responsibilities just give it time."_

" _Sometimes I kind of wanna quit to be honest." She lifted her head to face his. "Is that crazy?"_

" _You can't quit. This is only the beginning Peyton and this is an incredible opportunity. You can't up and quit just because you had a shitty day at work." Jake reasoned with her._

" _I didn't say I was gonna quit!" She defended. "It was just a thought geez. And even if I did quit there are a ton of other labels in this city. I can apply anywhere."_

" _You have to be practical Peyt. You don't know if you'll get offered a position anywhere else. You said so yourself, the music industry is extremely competitive. This internship is your big shot. You just gotta hang in there babe. It'll all work out in the end. I know it." He planted a kiss on her forehead."You're gonna do amazing things there. You just gotta be patient." He kissed her again this time on the tip of her nose. "Okay?" He asked giving her a goofy smile._

 _Peyton chuckled forcing out a smile. She nodded. "Okay, okay you're right." She leaned in closer and gave him a quick peck of the lips. "You're the best." She whispered giving him another peck. "I needed that." Another peck. "Thank you and I love you."_

 _Jake grinned grabbing her face and kissing her deeply._

As Peyton reflected on her relationship with Jake she found herself comparing him to the very tiny bit of information she now knew about her relationship with Lucas. It wasn't fair really, she had years of memories with Jake and only snippets of what Lucas had shared so far.

But it was already clear to her that Jake and Lucas were very different people.

Jake was a practical straight forward kind of guy. He had always managed to keep Peyton grounded especially when she'd get a little bit crazy or obsessive at times, and that was more than often usually over her internship. And even when she thought about quitting Jake had managed to talk her out it –not because he didn't believe in her or didn't support her. It wasn't anything like that. Jake just had this sensible and no-nonsense kind of nature, something that had been lacking in her previous relationship. With Nathan it had been nothing but nonsense and constant drama that had Peyton scratching at the walls. They had been absolutely terrible together. So when Jake came into the picture Peyton had been instantly attracted to his calming demeanor and above all his honestly. And when Peyton had met her birth mother and lost her to cancer it had been Jake who had been there holding her hand the entire time.

Nathan would have never done that.

And then there was Lucas and this blind faith he had in her after she had finally quit her job and moved back home. He barely knew her and yet he jumped instantly at the chance to help her. He believed in her from the get-go and had somehow managed to convince her to do something as crazy as start her own record label.

Because honestly who does that?

Peyton began to wonder if good old practical Jake would have ever entertained such an idea. More importantly if she and Jake had stayed together would she have never ended up quitting and leaving LA? Would she be stuck at a job that Lucas had insisted she'd been miserable at all for the sake of practicality? If she had stayed then she wouldn't have Red Bedroom. She wouldn't have taken that risk if it hadn't been for Lucas – and Brooke of course.

It unnerved Peyton to the core. Here she was trying to compare two different guys and honestly she didn't know which path she preferred.

* * *

"This is really bad." Brooke sniffled wiping her runny nose with the tissue Julian had given her. He had an arm around her holding her tight. "I feel so dumb, like how can something like that just slip our minds…um hello!" She cried.

They had been sitting out on a bench for the past twenty minutes after Lucas had managed to help Brooke off the ground and down to sit.

"It's been a long day for everyone." Julian reminded her. "You and Lucas just got Peyton back. There's been a million things running through both your heads all day. You can't blame yourselves."

"I have to tell her." Lucas hands were covering his face as he shook his head furiously.

"Maybe we should hold off until tomorrow." Julian suggested. "She's already been through a lot today."

"Absolutely not!" Brooke snapped at her husband. "I know Peyton and the longer we wait then she's gonna think we've been keeping this from her on purpose. And Peyton Sawyer does not do well with liars."

Lucas nodded. "Brooke's right. I have to tell her today." Though Lucas knew that he could kiss goodbye the small progress he made with Peyton today.

She'd retreat from him just like she had done the first time around. The loss of her father had hit her hard. It had changed her and it took a really long time before the old Peyton had managed to resurface again. This time around Lucas didn't know if he'd be able to bring her back now that he was no longer a loving husband to her, but a stranger.

"Actually I think I should be the one to tell her Luke." Brooke wiped some stray tears off her left cheek.

"Brooke I'm her husband."

Brooke nodded. "I know that sweetie. And you know that and Julian knows that. We all know that, but Peyton doesn't really know that besides the fact that we've told her so. Peyton doesn't know the amazing relationship you guys have together."

Lucas swallowed that bitter truth. Hard.

"Right now I'm the only person currently in her life that she remembers. There are no lingering doubts about me in her head at the moment. That's why I should be the one to tell her. I'm not saying it's gonna be easy for her to hear this coming from me rather than you, but I know I can handle whatever she throws at me." Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "We've been best friends since we were kids. I can bite this bullet because at the end of the day I know she still loves me. But what I am afraid of is if you tell her she's gonna shut you out completely. I don't want that to happen Lucas because Peyton's gonna need you to be there for her. Even if she doesn't know it yet. If we lose her again like we did before you're the only one that can bring her back. I'm sure of it."

The blond was ready to protest. "I appreciate the thought Brooke but –"

"No buts." Brooke cut him off. "I need to do this and you need to let me do this." She spoke with an authoritative tone that indicated the decision had been made. This wasn't up for further discussion.

Lucas sighed. He knew there was little point in arguing with Brooke Davis once she got like this. "Are you sure about this? I don't think it's a good idea Brooke."

Brooke nodded. "I'm sure." She replied sending both Lucas and Julian a look of reassurance. "She's my best friend Lucas." It was the only reason Brooke needed.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. We had a little Naley in this time! I did the best I could considering the geographical distance between the gang at the moment, but I really wanted to get them in there somehow.

So what do we think about the loss of Larry Sawyer? Did you see it coming? I can't wait to hear what you guys think of that.

Next up we'll have Peyton's release from the hospital and she'll have a very important decision to make.

Until next time loves! As always thanks a million for tuning in to this story.


	7. Facing Up

I'm back!

So yes my weekly updates have kind of taken a back seat and I'm so sorry for that guys. My sister is home for the summer (she lives in Europe) and I haven't seen her in almost two years, so we've been playing a lot of catch up and just having tons of fun. I've been slowly working on this chapter for weeks now, whenever I've had an hour or two free to write it bit by bit. Just a fair warning I probably won't get back to weekly chapters until the fall, but I will however do my best to update as often as I can. I'm also having my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow so I wanted to get a chapter in for you guys before that! Thank you for your patience.

I hope you enjoy and if you're feeling motivated please share some feedback! Reading your reviews always make my day.

Title Track for this chapter: 'Facing Up' by Kate Voegele

* * *

Chapter 7: Facing Up

She hadn't been able to stop.

Her emotions had been out of control since that dreadful night Brooke had entered her room.

It was official.

Peyton Sawyer was out of family members.

Her dad was gone.

He was gone and Peyton had never felt so utterly alone in her entire life.

After Brooke had revealed the details of Larry's passing, Peyton had gone through some of the typical stages of grief one would expect under these circumstances. At first she had refused to believe any part of it and shortly proceeded to take her anger out on her best friend instead, hysterically yelling at Brooke before finally bursting into tears. Brooke had cried right along with her the entire night.

Peyton hadn't stopped crying since. She hadn't slept much either. Sometimes she'd pass out exhausted from her tears only to wake up a few hours later with the weight of her emotions flooding her inner thoughts almost immediately.

Just like Ellie, Larry Sawyer had succumbed to cancer – lung cancer. They had caught it early. Did everything right too. They had found him the best oncologist, the best cardiothoracic surgeon, and had him on the best treatment plan for his specific condition. Because the tumor had been caught early the prognosis had been favorable.

But despite all this the outcome had turned out to be the exact opposite. The cancer ended up spreading faster than predicted and the treatment was simply unable to keep up. Seven months after his initial diagnosis Larry Sawyer had taken his last breath with Peyton right by his side. It had been two years now since his passing.

Peyton had no idea where to go from here. How was she supposed to move on with her life when she couldn't even remember losing one of the most important people in her life? It made Peyton both angry and incredible guilty that she couldn't remember those last few months with her father. She couldn't remember their last moments together and it made her sick to her stomach. Peyton quickly discovered that it was difficult to properly mourn someone when you couldn't remember them dying in the first place. If felt like she was stuck in some sort of limbo.

Everything about this situation was fucked up beyond comprehension. The few times she had tried to wrap her head around it, it had ended messing up with her head even further.

The only thing Peyton could do was cry.

She cried over the loss of her father. And she cried even harder over the loss of her memories of his passing.

Two weeks had passed since Peyton had woken up from her coma and had learned her father's fate. She hadn't left the room much since – not that she had any desire to these days, which was ironic considering how much she detested hospitals.

For the most part she had kept to herself. Brooke and Lucas were of course still at the hospital every day – in fact Peyton was positive Lucas never left the hospital and just slept in the waiting room.

Peyton rarely allowed them to visit her and if she did, it was mostly because Brooke had forcefully barged in not giving a damn. As for Lucas, she had only seen him maybe a handful of times and they hadn't spoken much – at least not in private.

It was her fault really. She had been avoiding him like the plague.

Whenever Lucas had stopped by Peyton had made sure Brooke had been present. She just wasn't ready to dive into the topic of her father with him, though Peyton could tell Lucas had been itching to do just that. When they did talk it was mainly restricted to casual small talk.

Peyton slowly inched her body towards the edge of the hospital bed sliding her legs across the sheets before planting her feet on the ground. She pulled herself up from the bed heading to the bathroom to relieve herself. She had woken up not too long ago and had actually managed to get five hours of sleep this time. It was the longest she had ever slept so far at the hospital.

A few minutes later after taking care of business Peyton emerged from the bathroom and found Brooke waiting for her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed and a cup of coffee in each of her hands.

"Morning P. Sawyer." Brooke greeted before taking a sip of her own coffee.

"You're here early." Peyton declared walking towards Brooke. It was 6:20 in the morning. Brooke was never here this early in the morning.

"And you're as skinnier as ever." Brooke frowned taking a good hard look at her friend. "Keep this up and you're gonna give me a fat complex." The brunette teased handing Peyton the coffee she had brought her.

Peyton rolled her eyes in response and quickly swiped the coffee away from Brooke's hand. She joined Brooke on the bed. "Thanks." She mumbled before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Anyway I'm early because I wanted to hang out a bit since I won't be around today."

Peyton raised an eyebrow. This was unusual news.

"I kind of have to go back to work." Brooke explained. "I haven't been back since your accident and Victoria's been on my case nonstop. I don't really have a choice." She grumbled.

Peyton nodded noticing that Brooke was dressed in a very stylish grey skirt suit ensemble. "I'll be fine Brooke." Already knowing that her best friend was probably worried to leave her for the day.

Brooke shrugged. "I didn't say anything." She defended.

"Yeah, but you were thinking it."

The brunette shrugged again. "As your best friend it's my right to worry, but you do look better today." Brooke mused.

Peyton scoffed. It was a complete lie and they both knew it. Peyton knew she looked awful these days. She was paler than usual from not eating well and the dark circles around her eyes from lack of sleep weren't doing her appearance any favors. Also her hair resembled a bird's nest at this point. "Because I haven't burst into tears yet? It's still early." She replied sighing deeply. Besides that first night Peyton hadn't cried in front of Brooke or anyone for that matter. The rest of her mourning had been done in private.

Brooke gave her a sad smile. "I can stay." She told her quietly after her head had fallen to rest on Peyton's shoulder. "Screw Victoria."

"I'll be fine." Peyton automatically leaned her head against Brooke's. "Though I don't know what's weirder to me, the fact that you're like this global fashion icon or the fact that you have a working relationship with your mother." Brooke had slowly been sharing details of her life with Peyton the past couple of weeks.

"She's not that bad."

"Wow I didn't know my amnesia was contagious."

"Shut up and drink your coffee."

Peyton obeyed taking another sip. "Seriously though I'll be fine Brooke. I think I can manage one day without you invading my personal space." The blonde playfully stuck her tongue out at Brooke.

Brooke lifted her head to look at Peyton. "You're not fine Peyton." She stated shaking her head.

"No I'm not." Peyton admitted. "But I think that's okay for now. I don't know how to be anything else but not fine right now Brooke."

"I completely get that, you know that. I just worry because you never really wanna talk about any of it. Not the accident, or Lucas, or Larry…"

"I'm not ready."

"And I don't mean to push, I just can't help it. You know I've never been much of a patient person."

Peyton slowly nodded in agreement.

"I can still stay if you need me." Brooke offered again. "I much prefer your face to Victoria's anyway. Besides that bitch works for me not the other way around."

The blonde shook her head. "I think I just wanna be alone today especially since everything is going to be really different starting tomorrow. Everything's just going to be a lot more real you know?"

Brooke nodded in understanding. "Yeah I guess it will be." She agreed. "But still you must be somewhat eager. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding me? It's like the only thing I've been looking forward to since I woke up here."

Peyton had received the final clear from Dr. Parker yesterday and was due to be released from the hospital tomorrow. With the exception of her amnesia everything else was fine. Both her external and internal injuries had been healing accordingly. She'd have to take it easy for awhile in terms of any strenuous physical activity, but otherwise she was good to go.

Dr. Parker had taken pride in the fact that he was releasing her just in time for Thanksgiving. Big whoop. Like that was supposed to make Peyton feel magically better about her situation.

It didn't.

It was just a heavy reminder that she didn't have a family to spend thanksgiving with in the first place.

"I figured as much." Brooke drank the rest of her coffee in one large gulp and tossed the cup in the trash can.

"What time are you coming by to pick me up tomorrow?"

Brooke's head whipped back. She sent her friend an odd look. "I wasn't planning on it actually, figured I'd just meet you at your place after you got settled in."

Peyton's face dropped. "Brooke." She said quietly. "I can't stay with him."

"Peyton he's your husband."

"I don't know him. He's a stranger." She reminded her.

Brooke rubbed the back of her neck in frustration. "Sweetie the doctor said that the best thing you can do right now is to return to your normal routine – with Lucas."

"So what, I can't stay with you now?" Peyton snapped angrily.

Brooke shook her head. "Of course you can! You are always welcome to stay with me and Julian, but I just think you should really consider going home."

"I don't have a home anymore." Peyton replied sadly.

"Yes you do." Brooke said. "With Lucas, your husband. Trust me you don't have to be afraid of him. You're safe with Lucas."

"I'm just not comfortable with the idea of us living together."

"Fair enough." Brooke said in understanding. "But eventually Peyton you're going to have to face this. You can't avoid Lucas or your marriage forever."

"I can try." The blonde stubbornly replied.

Brooke sighed. "At least do me a favor and talk to him. And since I'm not gonna be here all day, today is the perfect time to do it."

Peyton frowned. "Talk to him about what?"

Brooke shrugged. "Just talk to him Peyton…about anything really. Talking about your living situation after you leave the hospital might be a good place to start. He's hurting so bad you don't even know. He's putting on a brave face for you, but you gotta give a little Peyt. He's a really good man. You'll come to see that in time. I promise you that."

"I dunno Brooke…"

"Peyton that guy out there, your husband, has barely left this hospital since you were brought in. When you were in that coma he held your hand and slept by your side in this room every single night and since you've woken up he's been faithfully waiting for you out there in that waiting room. He doesn't even go home. I've been bringing him a change of clothes and he showers here at the hospital. So please Peyton just let him in a little." Brooke pleaded.

"I didn't ask him to do any of that." Peyton defended.

"Peyton, eventually you're going to have more in-depth questions regarding the past and Lucas is really the only one who can give you those answers. And I know you're not ready to talk about your dad and everything else, but when you are, Lucas is the one who can talk to you about it." Brooke paused. "When you lost your dad Peyton you were a mess. You were in a really dark place for awhile and Lucas was the only one able to bring you back. He brought me back my best friend. He took care of everything and he took care of you."

That got Peyton's attention immediately. Had it really been that bad? "I'll think about it." Peyton replied after a long pause.

"I'll take it." Brooke replied feeling a little relieved.

* * *

Peyton forced herself to eat the last bit of her lunch. Her appetite had been pretty nonexistent these days, but she wasn't about to give Dr. Parker any excuse to extend her stay. She swallowed the last bit of the ham and cheese sandwich the nurse had brought her. It was tasteless and dry making Peyton gag after the first bite. Thank god she'd be done with shitty hospital food come tomorrow afternoon. After taking a swig of her apple juice she pushed the tray away and scooted further up on the bed. Peyton sat up bringing her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as she rested her chin over her knees.

Moments later she heard a small knock on the door before Lucas entered the room revealing himself. "Hey." Lucas greeted Peyton somewhat timidly. He stood idly by the door not daring to step further into the room, not sure what her mood would be today. Some days she was willing to receive him, but most days she'd politely ask him to be left alone. Even though she never said it, Lucas could tell his wife had spent most of her days in tears by herself.

"Hi."

"How are you today?"

"I'm okay I guess." Peyton replied lifting her chin from her knees. "More than anything I'm pretty anxious for tomorrow to get here already."

Lucas smiled. He wasn't at all surprised to hear her say that. "Soooo…Brooke mentioned that you wanted to talk?"

Peyton instantly frowned. So much for letting her think it over. "Oh she did, did she?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Lucas shook his head at Brooke's scheming. "She means well though. Anyway I'll be out there if you need anything." He added turning on his heels to exit the room.

"No wait. It's okay. You're already here and we probably should talk anyway." Peyton shrugged. "You wanna help me pack my stuff?" She offered. Talking to Lucas might be easier if she kept herself busy. Sharing a nice lunch in the cafeteria that one time hadn't magically solved Peyton's uneasiness around Lucas. She didn't exactly know what Lucas wanted from her or what he expected, and Peyton hadn't dared asked.

She was afraid of the answer.

Lucas nodded. "Sure I can do that."

"Cool." She replied coolly and then proceeded to get out of bed. "I think my bag is under the table." She pointed out to him. Lucas nodded and retrieved it placing the duffel bag on the foot of her bed. "Thanks." She unzipped the bag. There wasn't much in there besides a change of clothes for her to wear tomorrow – goodbye hospital gown. What needed to be packed away had been all of the pictures, drawings and other items Brooke had chosen to decorate the room to make Peyton feel at home. It had been a nice gesture on Brooke's part, but unfortunately it had failed in serving its purpose since Peyton hadn't been able to recognize any of it as her own. Peyton had spent hours observing her drawings and examining photos of people she didn't recognize who were apparently her friends now. The trigger she hoped that would release her lost memories had yet to present itself.

Peyton removed the clothes from the bag setting them down on a chair for tomorrow. She silently moved towards the wall where a few of her paintings and drawings had been displayed. Lucas quickly followed suit as they both carefully removed them from the wall being careful in not letting the tape rip her artwork.

Peyton observed the sketch in her hands of what she recognized as the rivercourt back in Tree Hill. She had to admit that her abilities had really improved over the years. It was light years ahead of the stuff she did back in high school. She smiled before placing the sketch in a folder that held a few more of her drawings. "So…I guess I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow and what happens next." She returned to the wall removing a painting this time. "What are you thinking?"

"About a million things to be honest."

"Same here."

"But mainly I just want to make things as easy as possible for you Peyton."

Peyton sighed as she decided to rip the bandage and get the hard part over with. "Brooke thinks I should go stay with you."

Lucas paused swallowing hard. He turned his neck to the side to look at her. "I…I just assumed since the doctor said returning to your normal life would probably help with your amnesia…I just thought you were coming home with me."

"So that's what you want then?" Peyton questioned.

"Does it really matter what I want? You've just made it pretty clear that you don't want anything to do with me." His gaze returned to the wall. He stared at the sketch in front of him before taking in a deep breath and removing it.

"I'm not trying to be difficult here, I'm really not. I just don't know you Lucas. You can't just expect me to jump into whatever we had without caution."

"Peyton you're never gonna get to know me if you keep avoiding me like this."

"Don't do that. Don't try to guilt me into this. That's not fair Lucas."

"I'm not." Lucas told her calmly. "I'm honestly not trying to that. I'm just trying to be honest with you. I would never make you do anything you don't want to do." He added. "Do I want you to come home and go back to our life together? Yes absolutely, more than anything. But at the end of the day I want what you want and if you want to stay with Brooke then I'll just have to be okay with that." Lucas turned to look at her again. "I know you don't know me right now Peyton, but believe me when I say I know you. You're the only thing that matters to me. Whatever you want that's what we'll do. You have complete control."

Peyton silently nodded feeling a huge lump in the back of her throat. "Okay." She replied after a long beat.

She was the only thing that mattered to him.

It was weird to hear him say that, but it definitely wasn't the worse thing to hear someone tell you. It felt a bit too good, more than Peyton was willing to admit out loud.

"Okay." Lucas spoke repeating her words before moving towards another part of the room collecting a few picture frames to place inside Peyton's bag.

Ten minutes later they had finished collecting up everything with the exception of a vase of flowers on her nightstand that Nathan and Haley had sent.

Afterwards Lucas decided to test his luck and took a seat. When Peyton didn't object he relaxed a bit. "Listen about your dad…"

Peyton shook her head furiously. "I don't want to talk about that right now Lucas. I just can't." She pleaded with him. "Every time he pops into my head I feel like I'm dying on the inside little by little."

His blue eyes traveled back and forth between Peyton's face and the floor as his thoughts took over. She may not have been ready, but he needed to say something. He knew it probably wasn't fair to Peyton, but the silence over the matter was killing him.

"I just feel like I made a mistake." Lucas confessed. "I should have been the one to tell you about Larry not Brooke. I let her talk me into it and it was a mistake. I hope you didn't think I was avoiding telling you or anything."

"I would never think that." The seriousness in her words and displayed across her face let Lucas know that Peyton was being completely truthful in her statement. "I get why Brooke wanted to be the one to tell me and maybe it was better that way. I don't really know and frankly it doesn't really matter in the end. It doesn't change anything because it all hurts the same. I don't hold it against you. You've been nothing but honest and patient with me. Trust me Lucas that hasn't gone unnoticed on my end. You've been great even though I've been pushing you away. Putting distance between us is the only thing that makes sense to me right now. I don't do it to hurt you. I do it because it's the only thing I have control over in my life at the moment. I've lost everything else and I just need to figure out what that means for me in the meantime, until I get my memories back. I just have so much to figure out on my own before we can start figuring out the rest together."

"So you do think that eventually there will be a you and me…together then?" Lucas asked needing to question the meaning behind her words.

The green eyed blonde paused carefully mulling over her next words. "I trust in the fact that I must have married you because it was what I really wanted. I can't ignore that fact even if I wanted to." She gave Lucas a shrug of the shoulder. "I mean when I get my memories back us being together won't really be an issue now will it?" Peyton didn't dare mention the fact that there was a chance that she may never regain her memories. It was a dark reminder neither of them needed at the moment. It just made their relationship and situation that much more complicated.

Lucas smiled. "I guess not." Though he wondered how much longer that would be.

"So let's just wait and see what happens then? Is that okay?"

Lucas nodded. It wasn't like he had much of a say in things right now. So for now he would trust in what Peyton thought was best for her. If Lucas had any hope in winning her trust and confidence then he'd have to relent for now. "Whatever you need Peyton."

"Thank you Lucas."

He nodded again.

"Oh before I forget I have something for you." He spoke as a slight smile formed across his lips.

"Really?" Peyton questioned looking surprised. "You didn't have to get me anything." She spoke as she watched Lucas head towards the door where she noticed a medium sized shopping bag sitting by the entrance of her room. He must have placed it there when he had first walked into the room.

Lucas grabbed the bag and walked back to her. "Well it's not really a gift actually." He admitted. "It already belongs to you. I just thought you might like to wear it tomorrow when you leave the hospital." He handed her the bag.

"Okay…" She eyed him in a suspicious manner as she took the bag from his hand. Sitting the bag on her lap she reached in with one hand pulling out her very familiar leather jacket.

The smile that spread across her lips was instantaneous. It was exactly what Lucas had hoped would happen. He figured after spending the last two weeks mourning her father his wife could use this small pick me up. He knew how much Peyton loved that jacket.

"My jacket." She whispered softly.

"You were wearing it the night of your accident. I don't know how but by some miracle it wasn't completely ripped off of you." Lucas began to explain. "There was some tearing and it was covered in blood and dirt, but I asked Brooke to see if there was anything she could do and somehow she managed to salvage it. I hope it still fits okay."

The blonde clutched the jacket in her hands tightly. "Wow." Peyton broke her inspection of the jacket to look at Lucas. "Thank you…so much." She looked at him teary eyed. She couldn't have imagined losing this jacket. It meant too much to her. "This was my birth mom's jacket. Besides this and her old records I don't really have much from her. We didn't know each other that long."

"I know." Lucas replied. "I'm just relieved Brooke was able to save it for you."

"Thank you so much, really Lucas. Thank you." She sent him a small smile before running her fingers through the leather. The jacket was a lot more worn down than she remembered but it was otherwise perfect. "You have no idea how much this means to me." Then again he probably did. Why else would he go through all the trouble to save it for her?

Peyton opened up the jacket and slipped her delicate arms through the sleeves. She adjusted the jacket to her liking.

It fit like a glove.

"Looks good." Lucas informed her.

"Still fits." She added. Her tone relieved at the fact. She was however disappointed that the jacket no longer smelled like Ellie. Over the years her scent had faded, but even during college Peyton could still make out the faint smell of her birth mother. But what else could she expect considering eight additional years had gone by since then? Of course Ellie's smell would be long gone by now. "Smells different though now from what I remember." Peyton decided to share with him.

Lucas sent her a quiet smile.

* * *

Early the next morning Peyton stood in front of the bathroom mirror admiring the fact that for the first time in weeks she didn't look like complete death. Sure her skin was still pretty pale and those dark circles couldn't be helped, but she had finally ditched the hospital gown in exchange for a fitted pair of dark blue jeans, an olive colored long sleeve tee and her leather jacket. She had pulled back her curls into a messy bun on the top of her head, while dreading the time she'd have to spend in the shower later on washing and detangling them.

The blonde hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Her mind had been racing in excitement that she was finally going home, but it had also been nagging at her, making her doubt her decision to stay with Brooke after spending much of the afternoon with Lucas alone.

She knew living with Lucas was probably the best shot she had at getting her memories back. Dr. Parker had also urged her to resume her normal routine before the accident as best as she could. The answer was simple really, but she was stubborn and it seemed like too much of a commitment at the moment.

Peyton didn't know if she could handle it. She hadn't been handling everything else well, in fact she was barely keeping it together. She was hanging on by a thread at this point fully aware she could fall apart at any moment.

Brooke believed that if that happened Lucas would be the sole person that could catch her and put her back together again. That had no doubt been true in the past, but Peyton wasn't that same girl anymore – at least not at the moment.

How could Lucas save someone who didn't exist anymore?

There was no connection there for Peyton especially when she continued to hold on to the past.

That's not to say she hated Lucas or anything. He was nice, he was kind, and it was obvious he loved his wife very much. But this version of her didn't love him. She didn't know him. It was hard to fight against that when her brain was telling her she was still in love with someone else.

Today however she forced herself to push thoughts of Jake aside. She needed to focus on what was best for her. She could go back and forth all day on the pros and cons of living with either Brooke or Lucas, but she had put a stop to that early this morning and made a final decision. Sure there were still lingering doubts in her head, but she was sticking with it.

Peyton switched the bathroom light off and reentered her room. Dr. Parker had stopped by not too long ago to say farewell until their next appointment. A nurse had also stopped by dropping off a sealed bag that contained whatever items had been on her during the accident. Peyton moved towards the bed where she had left the bag and sat down. She ripped open the bag and poured the contents over the bed.

There wasn't much.

A set of keys, a wallet that was caked with dried blood that contained her driver's license, credit and debit cards and a few dollar bills; the last items were a few pieces of jewelry. There was a pair of tiny silver hoop earrings, a silver bracelet and finally a ring – a VERY nice ring in fact.

"Oh shit." She cursed realizing this wasn't just any ordinary ring. Her fingers reached for what was clearly her engagement ring.

Peyton's eyes widened as she inspected the ring. It was absolutely beautiful and it was so her. She had to admit Lucas had impeccable taste. It was a platinum ring with a round diamond cut in center and smaller stones trailing halfway down the sides of the band. It was simple and elegant and not too flashy. It was exactly the style of ring she had always seen herself wearing.

Like any normal girl, Peyton couldn't resist the urge to try it on. She slowly slipped it on her ring finger as she held out her left hand admiring the view.

"Hey." A voice called out softly.

Peyton jumped quickly throwing her hands behind her.

"You okay?" Lucas eyed her suspiciously from the door.

"I'm fine. You just startled me that's all." She explained while she pulled the ring off her finger from behind her back. She hid the ring in her right hand closing it into a tight fist.

How embarrassing.

She prayed he hadn't caught her modeling the ring.

Lucas shrugged at Peyton's odd behavior. "I just wanted to stop by and see if you need anything before Brooke picks you up."

Peyton shook her head. "I don't need anything." She informed him. Her gaze slowly dropped from his face and on to the platinum wedding band on his left hand. Until now it had never occurred to her before to check for it. Peyton knew they were married, but seeing the rings just made it feel much more official this time around.

"Okay. I guess I'll just wait around to see you off." He stated.

Peyton stood up quickly and began shoving all the items on the bed back into the bag including the ring. She looked up noticing the weird look Lucas was sending her. "It's the stuff that I had on me when they brought me in." She explained. "My wallet, jewelry, stuff like that."

Lucas nodded in recognition. "Right I forgot they had that stuff."

"Nurse brought it by a little while ago." Peyton said as she shoved the bag into her duffel bag and zipped it closed. "Well I think that's everything then." She declared taking a last look around the room. It was completely bare now.

"So when is Brooke getting here?" Lucas wondered. "I thought for sure she'd be here by now."

Peyton tucked a loose strand of hair behind her right ear. "Actually she's not coming anymore." She informed Lucas giving him a tiny awkward smile in the process.

"Something happen?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nope. I just told her that I didn't need her to come get me anymore." She had called Brooke early this morning and told her so. It went without saying that Brooke had been extremely pleased with Peyton's decision.

Lucas swallowed hard trying to keep his cool. He could feel the inside of his body burning from excitement at this new development. Was she about to say what he really thought she was about to tell him? "Because….?" He urged her on to continue. He needed to hear Peyton say the words.

Peyton took in a deep breath before speaking again. This was the right move for her right now. Her gut was telling her so, even if she was still freaking out on the inside. "I want you to take me home Lucas. Our home. I wanna stay with you."

* * *

So now that the story is moving out of the hospital I'm super excited for what's to come next and I hope you guys are too! I've got a lot of great stuff in the works now that our favorite couple will be living together and interacting in the real world.

Next up Peyton attempts to get comfortable with her new surroundings, while Lucas gets a bit too comfortable.

By the way if anyone is curious about what Peyton's engagement ring looks like, check out my profile for the link!

See you guys next time!


	8. Tomorrow Will Be Kinder

Hello everyone! I managed to find some time to write and keep the wait between chapters much shorter this time around! Hope you guys are happy!

Being that this whole story in general is kind of an emotional one, I think we were all long over due for a lighter chapter. The heavier stuff always takes me a lot longer to write through. Much to my surprise this chapter was a much quicker write compared to the others, which I'm guessing had a lot to do with the fact that I wanted a lighter and fun read for you guys this time around.

As always I just wanna take the time to thank all the loyal readers I've managed to collect in the short amount of time this story has been active. I'm always just blown away by how many of you take the time to read this little story of mine. You are all greatly appreciated. At only seven chapters in this story already has 55 reviews, which is amazing and you guys are completely amazing for it! I continue to look forward to reading your thoughts and comments and addressing your questions.

And speaking of feedback, I received one PM from a reader who was curious about my choice in selecting the song titles behind each chapter. Much like OTH used songs to title their episodes, I'm doing the same with my chapters. So basically each song I pick out for a chapter is lyrically either meant to set the tone of the chapter or allows you to get inside the head of what a character(s) is feeling/going through in the chapter. So basically this story will have sort of its own soundtrack by the end.

So if you're looking to squeeze out a little extra from this story definitely check out the songs! If anyone has anymore questions about this or would like more clarification about how each song pertains to each chapter I've written so far, do let me know!

Title track for this chapter: 'Tomorrow Will Be Kinder' by The Secret Sisters

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 8: Tomorrow Will Be Kinder

"I'll get that!" After stepping out of the yellow taxi Lucas scrambled over to Peyton's side, practically tripping over his two feet to pick up her bag before she could reach for it.

He had been a nervous wreck the entire cab ride from the hospital to the apartment. A couple of times Peyton had needed to stifle a laugh at Lucas' behavior. He had fussed over her, constantly questioning how she was feeling and if she needed anything. Normally she would have hated all the fuss, but coming from Lucas she found it to be kind of cute.

He'd always appeared so put together and calm in her presence at the hospital, so it was kind of refreshing to see him out of his element for once. It was clear that the short notice over her changed living situation had rattled him up and she could tell Lucas was upset that he hadn't been able to prepare for Peyton's return home like he had initially wanted to. But honestly that was exactly why she had waited until the last minute to let Lucas know she had changed her mind.

She wanted to cut through all the superficial bullshit Lucas would have no doubt laid on thick with some grand gesture to welcome her home. She didn't want balloons, streamers, welcome home banners or any of the other things people typically did when a loved one returned home. No thank you. This wasn't that type of homecoming, not by a long shot. It wasn't a return home for her. It was a move in. She was moving in with someone she barely knew – or didn't remember if you wanted to get technical.

Peyton allowed Lucas to grab the bag as she held on to her vase full of flowers from Nathan and Haley.

"Well this is it." He announced as they stood in front of the building of their apartment.

Peyton nodded and proceeded to trail behind Lucas once he used his key to open the main door of the building. They walked straight down a narrow hallway until they reached the elevator. Once inside they rode the elevator in silence up to the sixth floor.

"This way." Lucas indicted to the right after stepping off the elevator and leading them down another narrow hallway.

Peyton counted the two apartments they bypassed before reaching the front door of what she assumed was Lucas' place – or more accurately their place.

Lucas displayed his nervous behavior yet again as he fumbled with his keys a bit until he was finally able to unlock the door. He turned the knob pushing the door wide open and held it allowing Peyton to enter first.

"The place is probably a mess. Had I known you changed your mind I would have come earlier to clean up a bit." Peyton heard Lucas say from behind her as he locked the door. "I haven't been home much." He admitted. "Luckily you're not allergic to dust."

"It's not a big deal." Peyton reassured him as she stepped further into the apartment reaching the living room.

"Well…welcome home." Lucas smiled placing a hand on her shoulder gently squeezing it, taking Peyton by surprise. He removed his hand just as quickly as he had placed it on her shoulder. "I'll give you a quick tour."

Peyton nodded as she clutched the vase in her arms tighter. Now it was her turn to feel nervous.

"Yeah, um so if you haven't guessed already this is the living room." Lucas released a chuckle. He walked over to the window and pulled the curtains to the side allowing sunlight to brighten the room.

Peyton took another look around the room. There was a plush grey couch, two matching end tables that sat on each side of the couch, two matching olive green accent chairs, a couple of large lamps on each side of the room and a glass coffee table with several magazines and newspapers scattered about. A flat screen TV was perched on the wall opposite of the couch. Beneath the TV stood an entertainment unit that held more than one video game console, speakers, and a small library of movies and music. The walls of the living room held either artwork or picture frames.

Lucas motioned for her to follow him. "This is the kitchen, which reminds me we should probably hit up the store later and stock up on food." He said. "If you're feeling up to it that is." He quickly added.

Peyton walked further into the kitchen setting the vase in her hands down on the kitchen table. She aimlessly rearranged the flowers as she listened to Lucas ramble off where everything was in the kitchen.

After the kitchen Lucas showed Peyton the bathroom, followed by his home office. Next up was Peyton's office.

"This room down here is your office and sort of mini art studio." He turned the knob and opened the door. Peyton stepped in the room, which wasn't much bigger than Lucas's office. On one side it held a moderate sized desk with a computer, while the other side of the room was overflowing with art supplies. There was a small working desk with a stool, a few easels, several canvases that were either blank or had been started on, paints, pencils, brushes, clay, charcoals, and a ton of pads and textbooks scattered about.

The walls of the room had been painted a deep red. It reminded Peyton of her bedroom back during her high school days. So far this was her favorite room in the apartment because it felt so familiar. It felt like home.

"Yeah…" She turned around to face Lucas. "This would definitely be my room." She joked indicating to how messy and disorganized it was.

Lucas cracked a smile. "There's just one more room to go."

Peyton followed him out walking a few feet down until they reached the last room of the apartment left to be explored.

"This is our bedroom, over there is a closet and that other door there leads to our private bathroom."

Peyton nodded taking in the details as she walked around the room. The first thing that caught her eye was a large framed black and white picture of her and Lucas hanging on the wall. The picture was of them in a tight embrace as they danced at their wedding, smiling at each other looking deliriously happy.

Realizing he still had Peyton's duffel bag hanging from his shoulder, Lucas slipped it off and dropped it on the top of the bureau. "So what do you think?" He questioned after giving Peyton a couple of minutes to digest her surroundings.

"It's nice." She replied softly.

Lucas noticed her gaze was still fixated on that wedding picture. "I can show you more when you're ready."

Peyton broke her stare. "Huh?" She questioned confused.

Lucas nodded towards the frame. "Wedding pictures." He clarified for her. "There are some more scattered across the apartment, but we have tons of more pictures stowed away that I can show you."

Peyton's face pulled into a tight uncomfortable smile. "Um maybe…later." She felt her breathing pick up as she grew tenser. And yes, she was well aware that it was ridiculous of her to automatically have the urge to run in the opposite direction whenever the subject of her and Lucas as a couple presented itself. She also knew it would be much more difficult to dodge the subject now that they were going to be living together.

And she couldn't do that anymore.

She just couldn't.

It had occurred to Peyton at one point that maybe her reluctance in accepting the truth might be contributing to her amnesia. She had worked up a new theory in her head that maybe if she embraced the reality of things then maybe her memories would return quicker. She was desperate to regain the past, especially those that revolved around her father.

"I'm starting to get hungry, maybe we can make some lunch?" She offered changing the subject.

Sure she needed to start embracing her new life, but that didn't need to begin right this second – plus she was pretty hungry that her stomach had started to rumble.

"I don't think there's much food around to make a decent lunch. Brooke threw out everything that went bad last time she was here." Lucas informed her. "We can go out instead." He offered. "There's this Mexican cantina down the block that we love."

"Sounds good." She said approving of the suggestion. After living in California she had become obsessed with Mexican food. It had quickly become her favorite.

"Awesome. I'm just gonna wash up real quick if that's okay."

"Sure."

"I won't take long." Lucas kicked off his sneakers and headed towards the bathroom while pulling the shirt off his body. He tossed the tee into the hamper sitting outside of the bathroom before entering and closing the door shut behind him.

Peyton felt her face grow hot at the sight of Lucas' bare back. It had only been his back and here she was squirming like a pubescent teen at the mere thought of seeing him naked.

Seconds later she could hear water running followed by the closing of shower doors. It quickly occurred to the blonde that Lucas had entered the bathroom without a change of clothes.

Which meant one thing.

He was going to come out of the shower soaking wet in nothing but a towel.

Her face grew hotter.

Peyton quickly scurried out of the bedroom practically tripping over herself and slammed the door behind her. She sighed heavily leaning her back against the door before taking in a deep breath. Peyton took off her leather jacket suddenly feeling very overheated.

She wasn't ready for that.

But boy did the man have a very nice back.

* * *

Thirty minutes later they were seated at the cantina snacking on chips and salsa as Peyton perused the menu.

"So what do I normally get here?" Peyton questioned her eyes never leaving the menu. Everything looked pretty good and the entire restaurant smelled amazing. Her mouth was already watering in anticipation.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He teased.

Peyton released a chuckle, her mouth dropping open as she looked at him in disbelief. "You want me to guess? Why can't you just tell me?"

Lucas shrugged. "Now where's the fun in that?" He teased her again.

"What if I order something I don't like?" She retorted.

Lucas shook his head. "Not possible. Everything here is fucking amazing, besides I have faith in you."

Peyton considered his words. "Okay I'll play along, but care to make things a little more interesting while we're at it?" She offered.

"I'm listening." Lucas replied intrigued.

"Okay." Peyton grinned becoming excited. "So here's the deal. I'll take a guess at ordering my favorite meal and if I guess correctly then the loser…" She nodded over at Lucas as if to indicate he'd already lost. "…buys dessert."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Well that's not much of a bet, chances are you'll pick something you like memory loss and all."

Peyton grinned again have already predict he might say something like that. "True, but here's the kicker..." She paused dramatically for effect. "Not only will I order my favorite dish here, but I'll take a stab at yours as well." She challenged him, daring him to refuse.

"And so the plot thickens." Lucas said before his lips curved into a smile. "I'm feeling better about my odds then. I'm in."

"Loser buys dessert?" She reminded him extending her hand out over the table.

"Deal."

They shook hands firmly and Peyton went back to studying the menu. She took her time before finally calling the waitress over and whispering their orders in her ear.

"I don't even get to know what you've ordered for us?" He said slightly pouting at her.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Peyton teasingly replied.

* * *

I still can't believe you won." Lucas said incredulously before frowning. "What are the odds?" He huffed.

Meanwhile Peyton looked quite triumphant, practically skipping as they walked down the street together. The look on Lucas' face when their food had been placed in front of him had been utterly priceless, immediately letting Peyton know she had been victorious. She had laughed so hard that it caught the attention of the entire restaurant.

"What can I say I've got mad skills." She boasted confidently. "Now pay up buddy. A deal's a deal." She reminded him.

"Alright, alright." He threw his hands up in defeat. "And what would the all knowing one like for dessert?"

Peyton tilted her head to the side thinking it over. "I want the most badass doughnuts this city has to offer." She declared finally.

"Amateur, I would have so aimed higher." Lucas teased.

Peyton shrugged. "I'm sorry were you the one who won this bet? Oh no that's right I kicked your butt all the way back to Tree Hill." She spoke mockingly.

"Gee you're a mean one today."

Peyton shrugged again dismissing the statement. "Winner chooses, loser buys." She reminded. "And I'm gonna want a lot of doughnuts after that last comment."

Lucas laughed. "Your wish is my command. I know just the place, but it's a bit of a walk. Is that okay?"

"Lead the way loser."

Twenty minutes later they had arrived at the Doughnut Plant location in Chelsea, waiting in a line that ran halfway down the block. Another ten minutes went by before they were able to make it through the front doors.

"Damn it smells good in here." Peyton mumbled taking in another glorious whiff of the place. "I think I'm in love with this place already." She declared after checking out the display of doughnuts available. The selection was ridiculously awesome and definitely not your average run of the mill doughnut shop she decided.

Another ten minutes went by and they both exited the shop. Lucas carried a sizeable box filled with doughnuts; Peyton had gone a little overboard practically selecting every doughnut flavor they had. "You do realize we just spent like almost 40 dollars worth of doughnuts right?"

Peyton was too busy stuffing her face with a peanut butter coated and blackberry jam filled doughnut to care about the cost. "I don't care, I didn't pay." She mumbled with her mouth full of sugary sweetness.

Lucas laughed shaking his head at his wife because it was such a typical Peyton response. He missed her like crazy. It was nice to see her in such a good mood. He'd buy the whole damn store out if she wanted. It was worth it.

"Two words. Joint. Account." He replied deciding to burst her bubble.

Peyton frowned. "Hey that's cheating!" She pointed at him with her fingers covered in jelly. "You were supposed to buy it with your own money." She spoke wagging a finger at him discouragingly.

"What's yours is mine." He reminded her playfully.

"Oh yea I'll make sure to remember that when I go on my shopping spree on fifth avenue. I've always wanted to buy out Tiffany's." She said sarcastically before licking her fingers clean.

"Allow me to accompany you then." Lucas offered looking quite amused. "I'm curious to see how you'll magically figure out the pin number to our checking account."

Peyton slightly pouted her lips. "I don't like this game anymore." She replied realizing Lucas had won this round.

Lucas laughed, almost cackling in the process. "Let's go home." He declared. His fingers brushed over the tip of Peyton's chin catching the speck of jelly that had fallen there without her noticing. Lucas smiled at her before turning on his heels and walking away.

And that was the second time today Peyton Sawyer's face grew hot to the touch.

* * *

On the way home the couple stopped at the supermarket to stock up on food for the apartment. Lucas maneuvered around the store effortlessly clearly having shopped here a million times before as he picked out items without so much as a glance and piled them on to the shopping cart. When they reached the frozen foods section Peyton had grabbed a box of frozen crab cakes she wanted only to have Lucas pull at the box.

"Uh uh." He simply said before returning the crab cakes.

"Hey I wanted those." She insisted reaching for the box again.

"You're allergic." He told her and once again pulled the box from her hands a bit more forcefully this time.

Peyton tightened her grip on the crab cakes and pulled back even harder. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Since when!?" She protested. That was definitely not true.

"Since a few years ago." Lucas informed her. "It's not common, but it does happen. Adults can develop allergies later in life."

Peyton released her grip on the box of crab cakes surrendering. "You must be joking." She said still refusing to believe him.

Lucas shook his head. "We took a vacation to Maryland a few years back and had seafood for dinner one night. You ordered the crab cakes as an appetizer and the next thing I know we're rushing you to the emergency room because your throat had closed up so badly." He returned the box to the freezer. "So no, no crab cakes okay? I kind of like having you around."

Peyton quickly nodded frightened at the prospect of her throat closing up. She involuntarily placed a hand over her throat and cringed at the thought of not being able to breathe.

After that she let Lucas handle the remainder of the shopping trip.

* * *

Having left the supermarket with way too many bags to continue walking home, they grabbed a taxi the rest of the way back. After they had finished putting their groceries away, Peyton had disappeared to take a shower, while Lucas decided to head into his office and catch up on emails. He knew there were dozens of emails from Lindsey, his editor, that had gone unanswered for weeks, though she had been nothing but supportive with the whole situation, never pressuring Lucas to return to work even if they did have pressing deadlines.

As Lucas busied himself with emails the video chat on his laptop popped open revealing an incoming call. Lucas smiled accepting the call as Haley's face appeared on the screen seconds later.

"Hey Hales."

"Hi!" She happily waved greeting her best friend. "I saw you were logged in and decided to test my luck. I'm so glad you picked up! It's really good to see your face Luke."

"Same here."

"Is she home yet?" Haley asked cutting straight to the point.

"Yea we got back around noon. She's in the shower now."

Haley grinned. "I'm so happy to hear that Lucas!" Her hands clapped together. "How's she doing? Are things going okay?"

"Honestly it's been a really good day." He admitted unable to believe it himself. "After I showed her the apartment we went out to lunch, walked around a bit and then hit up the grocery store. As of now she hasn't really freaked out on me yet."

"Just means she's starting to get more comfortable around you Luke. That's a good thing."

"Yea, but sometimes Peyton can give me major whiplash from how moody she gets at times. I'm just trying to be as cautious as possible without upsetting her."

"Fair enough, but then I worry about you sometimes."

Lucas shook his head not understanding. "How come?"

Haley shrugged. "I get that you don't want to upset Peyton, but it's not fair to you that you have to constantly tiptoe around your own feelings every single time. It's not the most healthy way to restart your relationship."

"Well thank you Dr. Phil, but I think I can take it from here."

"Oh don't be an ass." Haley muttered. "You know I'm right."

"She knows how I feel." Lucas defended.

Haley raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "Oh she does?" She said in a mocking tone.

Lucas shook his head giving in. "Okay so maybe not every single feeling that pops into my head."

Haley smiled. "Well that's okay. You do what feels right for you guys. I'll support you either way, but you cannot let her walk all over you, okay? We both know how Peyton can be when she's stubborn. You have to treat her just like you would if she still had her memories. You have to call her out on her shit just like you would any other day."

Lucas nodded. "I know." He didn't want to baby Peyton, but it was hard not to at times especially if he wanted to remain on her good side.

"Good, otherwise she'll have to deal with me." Haley teased making Lucas laugh. "Hey don't laugh, I can be tough!"

Lucas laughed even harder.

"Uncle Lucas is that you?!" Lucas heard Jamie yell out before he appeared in front of the screen blocking his mother.

"Jamie hey!" Lucas greeted laughing as he watched Haley attempt to get around her son's head. "I miss you buddy."

"Um excuse me young man, but I was here first. Rude." She spoke while tickling Jamie at his sides.

Jamie erupted into giggles as he struggled to fight Haley off of him. "Okay, okay I give Mom! I give!" He moved over allowing both of them to appear through the computer screen. Jamie looked at his uncle and rapidly began his integration. "Where the hell have you been? When are you coming back? You missed my birthday! You're still coming to Thanksgiving right?"

"James Lucas Scott language!" Haley scolded.

Jamie rolled his eyes.

"You know I can see your face in that tiny little screen there right?" Haley said unamused.

"Whoops. Sorry mama." Jamie replied slightly cringing at being caught.

Haley shook her head sighing. At age nine Jamie had recently started to develop a bit of a rebellious streak much to Haley's dismay. She blamed Nathan for that of course, Jamie didn't get that side from her that's for sure.

"How are you J Luke?" Lucas questioned after forcing down another laugh that threatened to release itself.

"Fine." Jamie replied nodding. "Dad put me in this new basketball league and it's been a lot of fun. We've won like every game."

"That's awesome man."

"And I got this new video game for my Xbox that you just have to play with me and dad next time you come over okay?" Jamie asked though it sounded more like an order.

"I promise. Where is Nathan by the way?"

"Away game this week." Jamie quickly answered before his mother could.

"I wanna see too!" A small voice squeaked out.

Lucas could see tiny arms waving at the bottom of the screen.

"Mama me too short!"

"Okay I've got you babe. Someone wants to say hi Luke." Haley reached for her three year old daughter picking her up and placing Lydia on her lap. "Look who it is Lydia."

"Uncle Lu-cas!" Lydia replied excitedly jumping up in her mother's lap.

Lucas smiled at his niece who was looking more and more like her mother every day. "Hey there pretty girl. I miss you princess."

"Where is Aunt Peyton? She not wif you?" Lydia frowned disapprovingly at her uncle. "She promised to play wif me."

Lucas laughed. "She's been a little busy, but I promise she'll play with you the second she gets a chance."

"Okay."

"How are you doing Lydia?"

"I gots a tiny cut on my fum." She answered without skipping a beat.

"Where?" Lucas asked not understanding.

"My fum." She repeated her eyes widening.

Lucas frowned still not understanding.

"Her thumb Uncle Lucas." Jamie clarified.

"Ohhh." Lucas nodded quickly. "That's too bad. Does it hurt?"

"It did at first…um, but then um daddy kiss my booboo alls better." She held up her bandaged covered thumb for him to see. Lydia smacked her lips before speaking again. "I gots Elsa on my fum, see?"

"Who?" Lucas narrowed his eyes trying to make out the cartoon image on her bandage.

Haley's eyes immediately widened as she shook her head at Lucas over the screen. "Don't ask." She quickly added.

"Yeah save yourself." Jamie said deadpanned. The younger Scott released a groan over how many times Lydia had forced the family to watch Frozen unless they wanted a gigantic tantrum on their hands.

"When you come?" Lydia asked completely oblivious to the situation. "You come now okay?" Lydia nodded at Lucas. "And you bring Aunt Peyton okay?" She commanded. It was no secret that Aunt Peyton had been crowned favorite by the little girl.

"Remember what me and daddy told you yesterday? In a few days we're going to New York City to spend Thanksgiving with Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton. Remember?" Haley told her daughter.

"And Aunt Brooke and Uncle Julian too." Jamie added.

"That's right." Haley replied.

"Oh." Lydia said as she thought about it. "I forget." She giggled lightly smacking her hand over her forehead dramatically.

"I forgot." Haley corrected.

Lydia shrugged ignoring her mother. "Okay I go play now, bye." The toddler declared as she wiggled out of her mother's embrace and slid down until her tiny feet hit the floor.

"Bye Liddy." Lucas called out though the little girl was long gone.

"We better get going too." Haley announced as her left hand moved out to smooth down Jamie's messy locks. "I have to drop this guy off at basketball practice in twenty. Go suit up Jamie."

"Okay, see you soon Uncle Lucas." Jamie waved as he ducked away from his mother's touch and walked off screen.

"So we'll see you in a few days for Thanksgiving then! I'm really excited to see everyone. You're still okay with us coming up to visit right?"

In truth he hadn't been at first. When Haley had suggested the idea Lucas had immediately shut her down. Every year they had always spent Thanksgiving at Nathan and Haley's house, but this year Lucas had decided to cancel the trip with Peyton being in the hospital and not remembering a thing. Brooke on the other hand had thought it was a great idea. She had gone on a long campaign to convince Lucas that this was a good thing. The brunette had argued that keeping Peyton tucked away from the real world wasn't going to do her any favors. Life needed to go on and plus spending Thanksgiving together had become a tradition amongst the group for years now. When that failed to sway his mind, Brooke had come back hard with the guilt trip method, using the kids to bait Lucas in. Once Brooke spoke about how much the kids had mentioned their disappointment over them missing Jamie's birthday, it was a done deal. Lucas eventually caved and warmed up to the idea, allowing it –though fully aware of what a master manipulator Brooke Davis was. It was kind of scary at how good she'd gotten over the years. Naley and the kids however would be staying with Brooke and Julian in order to avoid overwhelming Peyton. That was the deal they had all agreed to.

"I'm still okay with it. I'll see you in a few days."

"Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." Lucas ended the video chat and went back to his emails.

* * *

Peyton looked through the chest of drawers as she searched for a fresh set of clothes to change into. After locating some underwear she dropped the towel around her and slipped it on. Next she found a pair of yoga pants and slipped those on as well before heading to the closet to locate a top. She migrated towards the right side of the closet where Lucas had told her she could find her wardrobe. Peyton inspected every article of clothing that belonged to her. She had been used to wearing mostly t-shirts in college, though she did dress up occasionally, but she immediately noticed that her taste in clothes had definitely evolved. It was much more adult, but still well within her style so Peyton approved. She finally settled on a simple grey and navy blue stripped sweater.

There was a tap on the bedroom door alerting Peyton. "C'mon in." She yelled out closing the closet door.

Lucas let himself in. "Find everything you need?"

"Yup, thanks." Peyton replied as she unwrapped the towel in her hair. She used her fingers to lightly shake out her hair.

"All your hair stuff is underneath the sink."

"Oh good." Peyton picked up her towels and disappeared back into the bathroom to hang them. Lucas sat on the bed observing her as she dug underneath the cabinet and fished out some curly product for her hair.

He waited for her to finish up before speaking again. "You hungry?"

Peyton paused. "I could do something light for dinner. I think I had too much doughnut." She joked lightly patting at her stomach.

"Chicken salad?" He offered.

"Sounds perfect."

Lucas nodded standing up from the bed.

"Lucas."

He turned around. "Yeah?"

"About sleeping arrangements…" She began apprehensively. There was only one room with a bed in the entire apartment. Someone had to bring it up eventually.

Lucas nodded knowing what she was getting at. "You'll sleep here and I'll crash on the couch."

She was flooded with relief immediately. "Are you sure?" Peyton asked sporting a guilty look across her face. She felt bad kicking him out. She didn't mind sleeping on the couch herself.

"Positive." He answered. "It pulls out and it's actually pretty comfortable."

"We can take turns too." Peyton suggested.

"Don't be ridiculous." Lucas said dismissively. "C'mon let's go make dinner." He added ending the discussion and leading Peyton out of the bedroom, lightly placing a hand on her lower back as he guided her towards the kitchen.

Peyton held her breath the entire short walk to the kitchen. Lucas had always made Peyton feel slightly nervous, that was nothing new, but this time around she couldn't say it was the bad kind.

It was then and there during those few steps towards the kitchen that Peyton decided that she liked Lucas and not because he was her husband and she was technically obligated to. No, this feeling felt completely genuine. And though she wasn't sure yet in what capacity this feeling towards Lucas extended, it didn't matter at the moment. She liked Lucas and Peyton was okay with that.

They made dinner together. Peyton prepared the salad, while Lucas seasoned and cooked the chicken over the stove. The sat down across from each other at the kitchen table.

Lucas initiated some small talk. "So Brooke told you that Nathan and Haley are coming up with the kids for Thanksgiving right?"

Peyton nodded. She played around with her salad a bit before stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork and eating it. "She did."

"Think you'll be able to handle it?"

Peyton shrugged. "Guess we'll see when they get here." She didn't have much commentary to share on the subject. Haley was just another stranger she had zero history with and Nathan was an ex-boyfriend that she could care less about. Though the thought of the kids made her a bit uneasy, considering one of them was her goddaughter. She wasn't really sure how that was going to play out during dinner. Kids had never been her thing. "I'm gonna grab a soda, want one?" She offered as she made her way to the fridge.

"Please."

The blonde opened the fridge grabbing two cans of the soda they picked up earlier at the store. "Hey what's this?" Her green eyes spotted a UCLA postcard on the freezer door. She balanced the sodas on one arm and pulled the postcard from underneath the magnet that had been holding it up. She returned to the table placing the sodas down and flipping the postcard over as she took her seat again. The postcard had the words 'Five Year Reunion' printed in bold letters.

"Oh I completely forgot about that. Your five year college reunion, it's in a few of weeks." Lucas explained.

"Are we going?" Peyton asked her eyes sparkling in anticipation.

"Um yea that was the plan, but considering the way things are now…"

"We can still go then?" She interrupted.

Lucas frowned. "You actually wanna go?" He was surprised really. Peyton hadn't exactly been the most social person these days. He was expecting her to isolate herself much like she had done at the hospital.

Peyton nodded immediately. "And be in a room surrounded by people I actually remember? Um yea let me think about that…" Her words laced with sarcasm.

Lucas released a breath in disbelief. "Well then I guess it's a good thing I didn't cancel our flights and hotel then." He ended his words with a smile.

"So we can go?" She asked again seeking confirmation.

"I don't see why not everything's already paid for anyway."

Peyton grinned. "Awesome." She said before taking another bite of her salad.

"You're happy." Lucas stated the fact.

"Very." She gave Lucas a nod. "Today wasn't so bad." She admitted. "I think I made the right choice. I know things are still kind of weird between us, but I'm glad I'm here."

"Me too." Lucas gave her a soft smile. "I mean if we're being completely honest…I really didn't want you to go live with Brooke." Lucas chuckled through his words. "I want you here. With me. I know it sounds selfish, but it's the truth. You belong here Peyton." Lucas shrugged. He was taking Haley's advice to heart. He did need to start being more honest with Peyton, even if she wasn't ready to hear it yet. This would never work out otherwise.

Peyton nodded. "I know." She quietly replied.

"You do?" Lucas slightly raised an eyebrow at her skeptically.

Petyon took in a deep breath. "I know I belong here Lucas. I just think it's gonna be a while before the rest of me catches up with that fact. I don't feel like I belong here yet, but I know this is where I need to be."

* * *

Well that's pretty much it for now loves! Until next time.

I know I usually give you guys some sort of preview hint of what's happening in the next chapter, but I'm behind and actually don't have an outline down for Chapter 9 yet, so guess you guys will have to ponder amongst yourselves this time around.

Please be kind and review after this read!


	9. Bizarre Love Triangle

So lots of awesome feedback on the last chapter. I'm so glad you guys enjoyed it. It seems like many of you are super excited about Thanksgiving with the gang, while many are feeling a bit hesitant about Peyton's upcoming college reunion. I'm right there with you guys and I promise I won't let you down!

I also wanted to send a big hello and welcome to a bunch of new followers I've gained in the past week. I'm excited to continue sharing this story with you all.

lpnerdx3 - What's Lucas' favorite Mexican dish? How about we go with chicken enchiladas, can't go wrong there! As for Peyton being able to guess correctly? At this point I'm not even sure myself, let's just say her intuition is on point.

Song: 'Bizarre Love Triangle' by New Order

* * *

Chapter 9: Bizarre Love Triangle

Tree Hill, North Carolina – June 2009

 _Lucas finished stocking the remaining bottles of ketchup onto the shelf. He was in the storage closet in the back of the café putting away this week's shipment of goods. Using the back of his hand he wiped off the pool of sweat that had accumulated above his left brow. He had worked up quite a sweat carrying those boxes and unpacking them for the last 45 minutes. They needed a better air conditioner back here. The old one was beyond repair at this point. Lucas decided to bring it up to his mother later today. The café was doing pretty well these days and that combined with the money coming in from Karen's second business TRIC, he knew that they could afford to get a new one. It had taken Karen almost two decades of hard work, but she was finally at a place where money wasn't a constant worry like it had been for them in the past. They weren't rich by any means, but they were in a comfortable place._

 _Lucas turned around to begin gathering the empty boxes, however he completely lost his footing as his back was hastily slammed against the wall without warning. Before he could react he felt the thin collar of his white tee being tugged just as hastily, pulling him down before a set of lips crashed into his. It took the blond about half a second to recognize the owner of those delicate lips eagerly pressing up against his. It took about another half second until he was devouring her lips right back._

" _Hi." Lucas breathed out when they finally pulled back for air._

" _Hi there." Peyton giggled back._

 _Their faces remained close, practically touching._

" _How in the world did you manage to get back here?" He questioned._

" _The back door was left ajar. Thought I'd surprise you." Her hands traveled up past his stomach and settled on his chest. "Surprise!" She connected their lips for a quick peck._

" _Crap I must have left it open when I was bringing in that shipment." Lucas frowned knowing what his mother would say._

" _So my surprise no good then?"_

 _Lucas tightened his hold around Peyton's waist. "Oh no very good." He nodded. "Leaving that door open was the smartest thing I've done all day." Lucas mumbled over her lips while kissing her again._

 _Peyton smiled against Lucas' lips before parting her own lips and deepening their kiss._

 _It had been like this for the past five days._

 _Five days ago they had gone on that first date and the two had been inseparable since. Neither had been able to go a day without seeing each other and they hadn't been able to keep their hands of each other either._

 _Lucas groaned when they pulled apart again. "As much as I know I'm gonna regret saying this…but you can't be back here. My mom's out front today and she could head back here any moment."_

" _And I'm guessing your mom's not a fan of having her son make out with some strange girl in the back of her café?" Peyton teased._

" _No, not particularly." He replied causing Peyton to burst out laughing._

" _Ok, ok, I'll make myself scat. I just wanted to say hi." She grinned her hands clutching his t-shirt lightly "I kind of missed you that's all." More importantly what she had really missed was those spectacular lips of his._

" _I miss you too." Lucas replied without skipping a beat. He really had. His thoughts had been consumed by Peyton all day and practically every day since her car had broken down in front of the café over a week ago._

" _You better be." She whispered connecting their lips again. Her hands left his chest traveling further up until her fingers buried themselves underneath his short locks. Peyton gave them a light tug urging Lucas to kiss her even harder._

 _Lucas took the opportunity to flip their positions. Peyton's back was now up against the wall while Lucas pressed up against her._

" _You. Should. Come. Over. Tonight." Peyton suggested in between kisses._

 _Lucas left her lips trailing down kisses until he reached her neck. "I thought Brooke was flying in tonight?" He reminded her. Peyton had mentioned it to him a couple of days ago._

" _Yea she is, but I won't see her until tomorrow. Let's be honest she's really not coming down to see me, she's visiting her boyfriend Chase." Peyton replied relaxing as Lucas continued to work on her neck. "Anyway come over. My dad left this morning on another job so it'll be just be us. I probably won't have much time to see you in the next few days once Hurricane Brooke takes over."_

" _I'll be there." Lucas agreed before recapturing Peyton's lips yet again._

" _Ew gross."_

 _Lucas and Peyton's make out session was put to an abrupt halt as they pulled away and slowly tilted their heads to the side._

 _Peyton's head fell into the crook of his neck. "Lucas, who is that?" Peyton whispered in his ear referring to the little girl with brown hair standing in the doorway with her tiny face all scrunched up in disgust._

" _It's my sister." Lucas huffed. "Lily what are you doing back here?!" He released his hold on Peyton and walked over towards his little sister._

" _Mom told me to come find you." Lily replied her face returning to normal though her eyes continued to be fixated on Peyton. "Is that your girlfriend?" The younger Scott openly questioned._

 _Peyton immediately erupted into laughter._

" _You're four years old, you don't even know what that means. Scram." Lucas commanded feeling completely mortified now. First Jamie embarrasses him in front of Peyton and now his little sister too? Whatever happened to family loyalty? Traitors._

 _Lily looked back and forth between the two sending them a skeptical look before breaking into a run._

" _But wait don't tell mom!" Lucas yelled after his sister but it was too late._

" _Any chance she won't rat us out?_

 _Lucas snorted. "Fat chance." He said shaking his head. "She's been quite the little snitch these days."_

 _Peyton was still laughing. "So bribe the kid with candy or something."_

" _She's too smart for that. She'll take the candy and still tell, and then I'll get chewed out for getting Lily on a sugar high."_

 _Peyton cringed. "So glad I'm an only child." She gave him a light pat on the back wishing him well. "Well then… I'm gonna let you handle damage control while I make my great escape." She teased giving Lucas a light kiss on the cheek. "I was never here." She whispered in warning sending him a playful wink before disappearing._

* * *

New York City – November 2014

Peyton sat up in bed, her body still wrapped underneath the covers, while her back leaned up against the headboard. The clock on the nightstand read 9:15 in the morning.

She had slept for a solid ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. It had been the best damn sleep she'd gotten since waking up from that coma. She had no idea if it was the bed or being out of the hospital, but Peyton didn't question the reasons behind it. She felt well rested and oddly content. That's all that mattered in her book.

She had heard Lucas shuffling around the apartment a while ago, but chose to ignore it. She had been far too comfortable and too warm in this bed to make any sudden movements. Last night Lucas had moved some of his toiletries to the other bathroom to avoid disturbing Peyton in the morning, so he wouldn't be coming in the bedroom any time soon anyway.

For the past twenty minutes however she had been staring at that damn wedding picture of her and Lucas again. That beautiful picture of them, as lovely as it was, had been there mocking her the whole time. Mocking her of a time she couldn't remember, much like the engagement ring tucked away in her bag had.

Then there was her leather jacket currently hanging off a hook behind the door. It too had played a part in annoying the hell out of her. Normally the jacket was supposed to be a reminder of Ellie, but ever since Lucas returned it to her at the hospital, it just reminded her of Lucas and his thoughtfulness.

That jacket right there had been the deal breaker. It had made the decision for Peyton long before she had even realized she had changed her mind in the first place. Had Lucas never returned the jacket she would have no doubt been waking up at Brooke's this morning instead. Peyton found it sort of funny how such a small gesture had been the catalyst behind her change of heart.

Deciding she had stalled long enough, Peyton pulled the covers off and left the bed heading for the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she exited the bedroom and walked along the hallway taking notice of the living room before heading towards the kitchen where she found Lucas. The apartment looked tidier and smelled like cleaning products, which meant that all that shuffling she heard earlier this morning had been Lucas cleaning up the place. A sweet gesture, but completely unnecessary. He could have slept in longer and not have gone through all that trouble. Peyton was well aware that the poor guy hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in weeks.

As Peyton entered the kitchen she caught sight of Lucas who was busy pouring himself a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

He was also wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, but apparently he didn't seem overly concerned about his utter lack of clothing.

 _Awesome._

Peyton was about to take a silent step back out of the kitchen, but Lucas caught her out of the corner of his eye before she could make a move.

"Good morning." He greeted her cheerfully. For someone who had slept on the couch last night, he was clearly in a good mood this morning. "I just made some coffee. I'll pour you a cup." He went to grab a mug and poured the coffee.

Meanwhile Peyton's green eyes were permanently glued to Lucas' underwear. Like an idiot she couldn't stop gawking; thankfully he was too busy pouring her that cup of coffee to take notice. She thought it was pretty damn ballzy of him to flaunt around the apartment dressed like that. "Morning." She greeted cautiously.

"Have a seat." Lucas had set her mug on the kitchen table. "I added cream and sugar just the way you like it." He added.

Peyton forced a smile as she nodded and quickly maneuvered around Lucas avoiding physical contact and took her seat. She mumbled a thanks, her eyes glued to her mug as she took a sip of her coffee. She let out a slight moan as the coffee trickled down her throat. It was perfection. He really did know how she liked her coffee.

Lucas grabbed his mug and took a seat. "If you're hungry I could make some breakfast." He offered.

Yeah because that's exactly what she needed right now – him strutting around the kitchen while he prepared breakfast for her wearing next to nothing.

Peyton took a bigger gulp of her coffee avoiding eye contact as Lucas went off listing breakfast options. Now that he was sitting the table blocked the lower half of his body – thank god for small miracles – but nonetheless he was still shirtless, and just like his back, Lucas had a very nice chest to match. He clearly worked out.

Did she also forget to mention he had very nice arms? Because they were and she liked them very much. Maybe a little too much.

She was so distracted she hadn't heard a word that came out of his mouth.

"Peyton?"

"What?!" She spoke a bit too loudly snapping out of her daze.

"You okay?"

Peyton quickly shook her head as she attempted to get her shit together. "Lucas I'm gonna need you to put on some clothes." She blurted out. "It's a bit distracting."

Lucas' eyes widened as his lower lip dropped down a little. "Oh." That was all he could muster.

Peyton noticed his cheeks suddenly had a bit more color to them. She held back a chuckle not wanting to embarrass him any further.

"Jesus I'm sorry." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "It's just a habit I guess. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I just really need you to put some clothes on." She repeated her request.

"Of course." He stood up abruptly shake the table a little as he stood.

"Okay then." Peyton spoke still waiting for him to get going.

Lucas nodded. "Okay. Again sorry about that." He mumbled awkwardly as he started to walk away. He was halfway out the kitchen before suddenly pausing, turning on his heels to face the kitchen once more. "Wait, what did you mean by distracting?"

Peyton's mouth flapped opened several times much like a fish out of water would. "Uh…" She had been caught off guard by his question and looked completely dumbfounded. Was he being serious right now? _What the hell?_

Well she wasn't about to tell him that she found him physically attractive that's for sure.

Her silence told Lucas everything he needed to know. "I'm gonna go change now." He announced sporting the stupidest looking grin Peyton had ever seen in her life. Was he messing with her? Had he been messing with her this entire time? She couldn't figure it out.

It almost made her want to punch him in the face, much like before when he informed her she couldn't have those damn crab cakes anymore.

That was until Lucas began whistling as he exited the kitchen and continued down the hallway.

Now she really did want to punch him in face.

* * *

Lucas reappeared about thirty minutes later freshly showered and dressed in dark slacks and a royal blue button up. He found Peyton on the couch with a bowl of cereal in her hands entranced by whatever she was watching on the TV. With her eyes still glued to the TV, she clumsily took another spoonful of cereal to her mouth causing some milk to dribble down her chin. Peyton wiped her chin with the back of her hand, her eyes never leaving the TV screen.

The blond made his way back to the kitchen grabbing another fresh cup of coffee before joining Peyton in the living room. "So I have some things to give you." He stated gaining her attention.

"Alright." Peyton nodded. She reluctantly reached for the remote and turned off the TV.

Lucas set his mug down on the coffee table. "Your new phone came in. The old one was crushed in the accident." He pointed over to a small box sitting on the coffee table. "I download all your contacts, pics and stuff over from your cloud this morning." He explained as he grabbed the phone out of the box and handed it over.

Peyton nodded pretending to know what the hell a cloud was. "Oh fancy." She spoke as she twirled the very thin Smartphone in her hands.

"I can show you later how to use it if you need me to, but it's pretty intuitive so you should be fine."

She nodded again.

"If you need me don't hesitate to give me a call."

"Oh." Peyton responded realizing that he was actually leaving her for the day. He was dressed up so it made sense. "Where will you be, work?" She questioned.

Lucas nodded. "Yea sort of…I actually just work from home most of the time, but I've got a ton of meetings the next two days that I can't put off anymore if I want to get this new book eventually published. My editor can't stall any longer than she already has."

"I see." There was a long pause. "And what do I usually do all day then?" Dr. Parker had stressed that she needed to get back to her normal routine, whatever that was.

"You're usually the one out of the apartment all day. You're normally up before me in the mornings holed up in your office since you try to put in a couple of hours of work for the label – but you don't have to worry about label stuff for now. Haley's gonna cover for you." Lucas explained. "Then you're off to Pratt all day in Brooklyn for classes and stuff. If you don't have a study group or a project due then you're usually home by dinner."

Peyton nodded. "So I should be in class now then?" That didn't sound too bad.

Lucas paused. "Actually I called the school and explained everything a few weeks back. I had to defer you for the rest of the semester."

"Right…" Peyton responded after a beat. "Can't really do much if I can't remember everything I've been learning so far." She exhaled a sigh. Well this wasn't going so well.

"Exactly." Lucas sent her a sympathetic smile. "But they were really understanding and once you get your memories back they promised to work with you to make sure you can still finish your degree. They've already reassured me that you won't lose the entire semester; you can pick up right where you left off, so that's good. You'll still get the credits you need."

"Okay so what exactly am I supposed to do then? I mean I'm not on record label duty and I can't really go to school now…so where does that leave me? What am I supposed to do all day if my normal routine is kind of a bust at the moment?"

Lucas frowned realizing she had a very good point. "Damn I didn't even think about that." He mumbled. "Shit I'm sorry." He clasped his hands together. "Listen how about we pick this up tonight over dinner and we can talk and figure something out?" He asked. "I'm sorry, I'm just already running kind of late today and I really need to get going soon if I wanna make it to my first meeting on time."

"Yeah it's fine."

"I hate to leave you like this." He was torn.

"Lucas it's fine, really. I completely understand. Go." She gave him a reassuring nod.

"Okay, thank you." Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't really want to leave her, but he didn't have much of a choice. "Okay so just a few last things." He produced a piece of paper and handed it to her. "I jotted down our address in case you leave the apartment and I made a note of it in your phone just in case. Umm and you have your set of keys and cards right?"

Peyton nodded. That stuff was still in the bag she brought home from the hospital.

"Okay cool. I also jotted down the pin numbers to our accounts in case you wanted to buy anything. And Brooke's still dropping by later today right?"

"As far as I know she still is."

"Good, good." Lucas stood up and began collecting his things. "Okay I should get outta here." He announced once he finished stuffing his items into his leather briefcase and hung it over his shoulder. "I'll see you tonight then?"

Peyton quickly nodded. "I'll be here." She replied jokingly, shrugging her shoulders. She stood up from the couch. "I'll see you out."

Lucas nodded and they both made their way to the front door of the apartment.

"Okay I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything, I meant it." He told her firmly.

"I will. I promise. Have a nice day."

"Okay then…" Without giving it any thought Lucas quickly leaned over to place a brief kiss on Peyton's cheek. "Bye."

Peyton paused slightly and it wasn't until Lucas was out of sight that she lightly brushed over the cheek with her fingertips. She said nothing, unsure herself how she felt about it.

It wasn't until Lucas had reached the elevator that he realized what he had done. "Shit." He mumbled scolding himself. There was another habit he'd have to keep in check for the time being.

Well at least he hadn't tried to kiss her on the lips.

That would have not gone well. Not at all.

* * *

"So explain to me again why you're so insistent on attending this college reunion thingy again?" Brooke questioned not really understanding where all of Peyton's enthusiasm on the subject was coming from.

"Because I actually remember college." Peyton replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She stood over Brooke holding up a tea kettle pouring the hot water she'd just boiled into the brunette's cup.

"Technically you only remember like half of your college experience." Brooke candidly pointed out. The last thing Peyton remembered was being in the middle of her sophomore year.

Peyton poured a cup for herself and sat down. "It's still more memories and friends then I have here in New York. The only person I remember is you Brooke. At least I'll have my college friends there and I won't have to run my brain into the ground trying to remember every single detail." The blonde dipped her tea bag a few times before removing it.

"So this has nothing to do with that fact that Jake Jagielski might be at this reunion?" Brooke countered her eyes narrowing in suspicion. There was little point in dancing around the issue.

Peyton shrugged. "I can't help it if he might or might not be there..." She awkwardly mumbled quickly before taking a sip of her tea.

"Peyton!" Brooke scolded. She did not like where this was going. "You. Cannot. Be. Serious."

"What!" Peyton exclaimed. "I didn't bring up Jake." She quickly defended. "You did and you assume too much."

"Well maybe because instead of focusing on things here with Lucas – your actual husband by the way – you're too preoccupied scheming about some pending reunion with an old ex! I mean what exactly do you think is going to happen if you see Jake?" Brooke paused taking a minute to calm herself down. Coming hard at Peyton wasn't the best approach. "I mean sweetie you can't possibly be entertaining the thought of getting back together with him. That ship sailed years ago and you have both moved on."

Peyton scoffed. "I am not that delusional Brooke, c'mon give me a little more credit." She defended rolling her eyes at the brunette. "I just wanna talk to him. That's it. All of a sudden that's a crime?"

"Under normal circumstances no, but Peyton your harboring these feelings that aren't real and I know it's not your fault, and I get that it's out of your control right now, but honey you're playing with fire here convincing yourself that you'll get some satisfaction out of this. This will not end well."

"Brooke." Peyton huffed feeling frustrated. Perhaps it had been a mistake to confide in Brooke about this. Brooke may have been her best friend, but it was clear to Peyton that Brooke had developed strong loyalties towards Lucas as well. Letting herself get sucked into the Jake conversation had been an error on her part. She hadn't expected Brooke to react so strongly. "It's just talking."

"About what? For god sakes Peyton you don't even know if he's gonna be there and not to mention that it's pretty shitty of you to drag Lucas across the country just so you can have a chat with your ex." Brooke pinched the bridge of her nose feeling a headache approaching.

Peyton shook her head. "It's not like that Brooke."

"So what's it like then? Because I'm betting Lucas has no idea what your plans are and to be perfectly honest with you Peyton this is starting to piss me off." Brooke's anger was apparent as her chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath.

Peyton's shoulder dropped. "Okay so maybe getting a chance to see Jake is _one_ reason for going, but it's one of many! He is not _the_ reason for wanting to go." She admitted. "Even if I knew ahead of time that he wasn't going to be there I would still wanna go, I swear to you Brooke. I would just like not to feel like a complete head case, even if it's only for a night. I need some sense of normalcy and I really think going to this reunion could give me some of that or at least help me feel normal again."

Brooke's facial features softened as did her voice. "I get that. You wanna feel like you belong."

Peyton silently nodded.

Brooke released a sigh sinking into her chair. Even though she didn't agree with it, she got it now. She understood why this weekend was so important to her best friend. And even though she would have preferred for Peyton to stay far away from Jake at the moment, Peyton was gonna do what she wanted regardless. If this ended up blowing up in Peyton's face – which it probably would – Brooke was still determined to have the blonde's back. "Promise me you won't make that weekend about Jake then, promise me P." Brooke took in a deep breath. "Please don't hurt Lucas. He doesn't deserve that. He's a good guy Peyton." The brunette stressed.

The blonde nodded again. "I won't. I promise." She replied wholeheartedly agreeing. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Are you two getting along okay then? Are you comfortable staying here with him alone?"

"Yea I'm fine. It hasn't been completely awkward and he's…Lucas has been good to me."

"Did you really expect any less?" Brooke teased.

Peyton chuckled. "No, I'm not stupid. He cares for me. A lot."

"No, he loves you." Brooke corrected.

Peyton shook her head. "No he loves her." Peyton corrected Brooke. "I'm a different version of the woman he knows. He's only hoping that I'll eventually be the old Peyton again so that we can move on with our lives."

"And you don't want that?" Brooke questioned looking somewhat shocked and disappointed.

"Of course I do, but what if that doesn't happen, then what?" Peyton wondered. "If I don't get my memories back then what are we supposed to do? Continue living together and hope for the best? I don't love him and I don't know him."

"You're going to get your memories back Peyton." Brooke reassured her best friend.

"You don't know that Brooke. The doctors don't even know for sure. If I don't recover from this it means that I have to essentially reboot my entire life, and if that's the case then I need closure from my old life."

Brooke huffed. "Which is why you want to see Jake so badly." She concluded.

Peyton nodded. "Yes."

"Which means you need to know why things ended between the two of you."

She nodded again. The need to know had been eating away at her for weeks, but she had been too afraid to ask Brooke for answers. She wasn't sure how Brooke would react.

Brooke sighed, a clear sign she was giving in. "I can tell you what happened." She decided finally after a long pause.

"So what happened?" Peyton urged refusing to let this opportunity to gain new information slip through her fingers. She didn't care how pathetic it made her look.

"Well first off, remember that weekend getaway sophomore year you thought for sure Jake was going to propose to you? You mentioned it to me at the hospital after you woke up."

"What about it?"

Brooke bit at her bottom lip. "Well he didn't." She winced.

Peyton's face fell.

Brooke shook her head reliving the memory in her head. "Oh man, I remember you calling me in tears right after you got back. You were so devastated because you had thought for sure that was it. You were so crushed."

"So he was never going to ask me? Ever?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"Now I didn't say that. He was definitely going to just not when you thought he was. He wasn't ready yet financially to buy you a ring at that point. He had been saving up, but it wasn't until the end of the summer right before your junior year that he had the money."

"How do you even know that?"

"Because that's when he called me." Brooke confessed. "He needed help picking out a ring and I also offered to help him get a good deal since I'd manage to make so many connections through my fashion line by that point. We had picked a weekend during that first semester I was gonna fly over and look at rings with him, but then I ended up having a work emergency so we had to postpone, but by then the semester was winding down, and you and Jake we both going to study abroad in separate countries the following semester. Jake didn't want to spend the first few months of your engagement apart so he decided to put off proposing until you both got back."

"We spent second semester apart?" Peyton frowned. That had never been the plan.

"Yes…and that was kind of the beginning of the end if I'm being completely honest here." Brooke replied. "You choose Florence because they had an amazing art program you really liked and you were lucky enough to get in. Jake always wanted to go to France so he ended up doing his semester in Marseille, but you guys were close enough that you still saw each other pretty frequently."

"What do you mean the beginning of the end?"

Brooke shrugged. "You guys kind of grew apart that's all. It was the first time you two had ever been apart for so long and then things between you started getting awkward with each passing visit. It was like you guys had a hard time even holding down a conversation at times. You guys weren't at each other's throats or anything, but you just weren't clicking anymore. You seemed less interested in each other. And then of course there was Nicki…" Brooke trailed off.

Peyton's eyes narrowed. "And who the fuck is Nicki?" She snapped.

"She went to UCLA with you guys, but Jake met her while he was in Marseille. They were in the same abroad program. Anyway I guess they became pretty close friends during that time and Jake would mention her a lot to you, which naturally rattled you a bit. He even introduced her once during one of your visits to Marseille and apparently it did not go well. It was pretty clear to you she was after him, whether or not Jake was oblivious to her feelings at the time was never hundred percent clear even after you confronted him about it."

"So he cheated on me with this bitch?" She felt like someone had just punched her in the gut. Her vision began to blur.

Brooke extended her arm and placed her hand over Peyton's for moral support. "He swore he never went there with her, not when you guys were together. And Jake has always been an upstanding guy, so you had no reason to doubt him, none of us did. But hey you weren't there, so who knows what really happened between those two. We'll never really know for sure."

"Unbelievable." Peyton wiped a stray tear. She shook her head slowly yet the anger displayed across her face was clear.

"Well you weren't entirely innocent either." Brooke said quietly.

Peyton frowned. "I cheated?" She exclaimed in surprise while pointing at herself.

"NO!" Brooke quickly blurted out. "You didn't cheat, but you did meet a lot of guys that semester and the attention wasn't unwelcomed since you were feeling so shitty about things with Jake. So you made a few guy friends, you hung out with them, went on coffee dates, all very innocent things. You never dated these guys or hooked up with anyone. You also have to remember that by this point you and Jake had been together for four long years and I think both of you started to question if you were missing out on other experiences as a result."

"So when did end it?"

"Not til much later. You guys really loved one another and wanted to make it work, so you still stayed together that whole semester. To be completely honest again you two were just tip toeing around the inevitable – you guys had been long over. I think both of you were terrified of letting each other go because you had been together for so long, but that whole semester changed you guys, more than you were willing to admit. It changed everything." Brooke shifted in her seat. "Anyways, after the semester was over you guys traveled a bit across Europe, and then moved back to LA and committed to fixing your relationship for the rest of the summer, but it wasn't the same anymore. Now that you were living together again, you guys started fighting all the time and it just wasn't working anymore. It was clear you were both completely miserable. Things were officially over by mid-august. The breakup was mutual. You guys gave up your apartment and you moved back on campus for your senior year, and Jake moved into a house with some friends of his that had a room open up."

"So that was that?"

"You guys tried to make it work Peyton, you really did. But these things happen and you were both so young. It wasn't a nasty breakup or anything. Whenever you did run into each other on campus or at a party you were both pretty cordial – though you haven't seen or spoken to Jake since graduating college."

"And that Nicki chick then? Whatever happened to her?"

Brooke sighed shooting her best friend a sympathetic look. "They got together maybe like two months after you guys called it quits."

"I was a mess wasn't I?"

Brooke's head tilted side to side. "Yes and no. I mean you weren't ecstatic about it and we obviously hated the bitch, but you wanted Jake to be happy and at the end of the day there wasn't anything you could do about it. In my opinion though she was a total downgrade anyway. Based on those pictures you showed me, you were definitely the hotter girlfriend and she looked like Jake had picked her out of a Sluts-R-Us catalog."

Peyton slightly chuckled the pain easing a bit.

"Eventually you slowly made your way back into the dating pool – nobody serious though. You casually dated a few guys, but you decided to focus on graduating and securing your job at that record label. Then you pretty much know the rest, you ditched the label, moved back home and met Lucas."

Brooke paused.

"Frankly I'm surprised it took you this long to ask about the breakup." She admitted.

"I was afraid to ask."

"I was afraid of when you would ask." Brooke said with a smile.

"Why?"

Brooke shrugged. "Because I was afraid Jake would distract you from accepting Lucas and forming a relationship with him. I still am actually, which is why I still think this whole reunion thing is a bad idea, but I've still got your back P Sawyer."

"That's not for you to decide Brooke. What or how I want my relationship with Lucas to be right now is up to me."

"I know that and I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I know you mean well and you're right I'm not being completely fair to Lucas. I just don't know if he'll get where I'm coming from and we had such a nice day yesterday that I don't wanna ruin things before they even start. I like Lucas. I don't wanna intentionally hurt him." Peyton smiled.

The corners of Brooke's mouth lifted into a smile.

"What?!" Peyton asked noticing the smile.

"It's just cute that's all."

"What is?"

"You have a crush on your husband." Brooke concluded sporting an all knowing smirk.

Peyton tried to hold back a smile failing miserably. "I do not. I just like him enough, that's all."

"It's the most adorable thing I've ever heard." Brooke added ignoring Peyton.

"Stop it!" Peyton hissed noticing her cheeks had started to warm up. "I just think he's nice that's all."

Brooke laughed at her.

"Stop it."

Brooke gasped realizing something. "Oh my god where did he sleep last night?!"

"I did not have sex with him Brooke!" Peyton practically screamed unable to believe she would even suggest that.

"I just asked where he slept last night you pervert." Brooke chuckled. "Last time I checked there was only one bed in this apartment."

"Well he slept on the couch thank you very much." Peyton replied deadpanned.

Brooke shrugged. "God I don't remember you being this prudish when you first started hanging out with Lucas."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you gave it up a long time ago Peyton, a little too quickly if I recall." Brooke mused. "By your previous standards anyway."

Peyton scoffed. "I did not!"

Brooke laughed harder. "Oh yea you did." She informed her. "You had it bad girl, in fact you both did. It was kind of nauseating to watch at first, but I could already tell you really liked Lucas right after the first time you told me about him."

"Really?" Peyton said in disbelief. She had always been used to her relationships starting off slow and steady.

"Oh yea for sure." Brooke replied nodding confidently. "After that first date you guys just went full speed ahead. I have never seen you so head over heels like that before."

"What about Jake? I was crazy about him."

"Not anywhere near how you were with Lucas. You fell for Lucas fast and hard, and vice versa. Trust me. I was just as surprised as you were at the time."

Peyton remained still as she processed this new information.

Brooke took that as an opportunity to continue on. "So why not rush into things a second time around? Lucas has put in his dues, poor guy. You should totally sleep with him. You guys are both looking a little too tense these days and in my honest opinion the best way to relieve tension –"

Peyton put a stop to her right there. She rolled her eyes. "I am not going to sleep with him Brooke."

"Why in the hell not? Have you even really looked at your husband?"

 _Had she looked? Ha. Of course she had._

Brooke continued on. "I mean I've never seen Lucas naked, but I've seen him in swim trunks and the man does not disappoint."

Peyton scrunched her nose. "Don't you have your own husband?"

"Don't change the subject Peyton, it's rude." Brooke replied dismissively. "You're telling me you don't find yourself attracted to him at all? Not even a little bit?" She inquired. "Because babe if that's the case, then the amnesia is the least of your worries."

"I…" Peyton stammered.

"Knew it." Brooke quickly cut in feeling like a winner.

"Okay I'll admit he's not bad on the eyes, especially since he was walking around half naked this morning…but that doesn't mean I'm –"

Brooke gasped louder this time. "So you did sleep with him!" She screeched jumping up and down in her seat.

"I. Did. Not." Peyton replied harshly.

"Then why was he not wearing any clothes this morning Peyton?" Brooke teased sending her a wink.

"He had on underwear." Peyton corrected. "I guess he always walks around the apartment like that in the mornings." She shrugged. "Anyway I made him get dressed."

Brooke frowned. "What a waste that was." She muttered not so quietly under her breath.

Peyton exhaled loudly rolling her eyes. She stood up collecting their cups and used tea bags. "In truth I can't figure out if he was messing with me or not."

"Like he did it on purpose?" Brooke smirked completely fascinated with the concept. Apparently Lucas had some tricks up his sleeve? Who knew.

"I dunno, I guess. I mean he's been a little touchy feely since I got home and it's a bit confusing and distracting to be honest. At the hospital he was much more distant."

"That's because you didn't give him much of a choice." Brooke reminded her.

"Yea I guess you're right." Peyton replied guiltily.

"If it helps…you guys have always been a very affectionate couple, so it's probably more habit than him purposely trying to make you feel uncomfortable." Brooke added. "What exactly has he been doing anyway?"

Peyton shrugged. "Nothing over the top really. He'll give my shoulder a squeeze or place a hand on the small of my back. And this morning he kissed me goodbye."

Another gasp.

"WHAT!?" Brooke's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. "Bitch and you waited this long to tell me because…"

"On the cheek Brooke." Peyton said with tight lips. Boy did her best friend sure love to jump to conclusions. "He kissed me on the cheek as he was leaving for work." Peyton dumped the cups in the sink. "I don't even think he realized he did it."

Brooke once again deflated in disappointed. "Ugh you gotta stop doing this to me Peyton." She leaned back in her chair dramatically placing an arm over her forehead. "You just keep building me up only to crush my hopes and dreams."

Peyton laughed. "Me and Lucas hooking up is a dream of yours?"

"Today it is at least."

"Sorry to disappoint." Peyton said not feeling sorry at all.

"Whatever." Brooke replied completely unfazed. "You two will be at by the end of the week. I'm not too worried."

Peyton groaned instantly at the comment. "You're the worst."

* * *

So in this chapter we had a little flashback action and the story behind the Jeyton breakup finally revealed! Thoughts?

As for the following chapter I'll need your help! I've been debating back and forth over the next chapter either being a total flashback chapter so you guys can get more glimpses into the start of Peyton and Lucas' relationship or we can just dive right into Thanksgiving with the gang. I figured you guys can make the final decision for me since you're the ones reading the story after all. So let me know your thoughts! Most votes wins.

Until next time my loves!

Reviews are good for the soul, or maybe just mine anyway!


	10. Nice To Meet You, Except We've Already M

So it's been over a month since my last update and it's totally not because I've forgotten about you guys or this story! I promise! I was out of the country this past month on vacation visiting my parents and family. I had planned on getting this chapter up before I departed, but hadn't been able to finish it in time. So again, sorry for the long wait guys!

Based on the last chapter, most readers seemed to be really pushing for the Thanksgiving chapter, so here we go! The last chapter is the most reviewed chapter in this story so far, so that was such a wonderful surprise to return to. Thank you all. All those comments really do motivate this girl to keep writing.

There's no song track for this chapter, as I couldn't find a song that fit well enough this time around. I may come back and figure that out later.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10: Nice To Meet You, Except We've Already Met Before

Peyton swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She blinked rapidly attempting to hold back the tears in her eyes that threatened to escape.

This was stupid really. She really didn't know why she was getting so upset over something as insignificant as this.

She took in a deep breath closing her eyes while quietly whispering to herself to calm down.

Several seconds later she reopened her eyes. Her green eyes stared intently at her reflection as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Lucas was probably starting to get impatient waiting for her to finish getting ready so that they could make their way over to Brooke's for Thanksgiving dinner.

Peyton was already dressed and her makeup was done, but fixing her hair had been a different story. She had been running her fingers lightly through her blonde tresses wincing slightly after her fingers had made contact with a rough surface towards the back of her head. Peyton frowned confused for a moment while her fingers traced up and down the area. It didn't take long for her to register what she was touching. It was a scar. The scar left behind from the surgery.

She hadn't noticed it before because she hadn't given much effort into styling her hair these last few days, especially since she hadn't really left the apartment.

Curious to get a look, the blonde searched through a couple of drawers until she found a hand mirror. She faced her back towards the bathroom mirror and held up the smaller mirror in front of her catching the reflection of the back of her head.

Peyton frowned disapprovingly. The scar wasn't gigantic, but it wasn't small either. What made her feel worse was that the area surrounding the scar was completely free of hair since it had been shaved off for surgery.

It looked ugly.

She looked ugly.

And what was worse was the fact that no one had bothered to point it out. It was embarrassing. She basically had what looked like a huge bald spot in the back of her head. The last thing she wanted was people staring. The last thing she wanted was more attention.

She couldn't show up to dinner with her hair like this.

And so for the past twenty minutes she had been shifting and twisting her hair around trying to cover up her scar, but she wasn't getting it right. She was failing miserably. The more Peyton tried, the more upset she became as her hair refused to comply.

Pretty soon her eyes had started to water and she was forced to fight the urge to cry. She was being so silly, Peyton knew that. This was no reason to spill tears over, but she couldn't help it. She was so sensitive these days. Her emotions were on high alert. Everything thing felt magnified and it was completely out of her control.

Peyton took in another deep breath. She was not going to cry over this. She was better than this. Stronger.

Another deep breath.

And then another one.

The knock on the bathroom door startled Peyton out of her thoughts.

"Shit." She mumbled.

"Hey everything okay in there?" She could hear Lucas' voice coming through the other side of the door.

"I'm okay. I just need a few more minutes." Peyton replied trying to maintain a steady voice.

"You've been in there for a while." He pointed out. "Are you sure everything is alright?" He pressed further. Lucas had caught on to the slight crack in her voice while she tried to convince him that she was fine. He wasn't buying it. "Can I come in?" His voice filled with concern when Peyton had remained silent.

Peyton froze. "No, please. I…I'll be out in a second." She didn't want Lucas to see her like this. So weak and upset, more so over something as superficial as her looks.

"I'm coming in." Lucas said deciding to completely dismiss her plea. He was worried. She sounded upset.

Peyton's mouth dropped slightly not expecting him to refuse her request. Lucas had been nothing but accommodating and respectful of her space so she was a little stunned to say the least. "No wait, don't!" She practically shrieked running over to lock the door, but it was too late – Lucas had turned the doorknob and let himself in.

Peyton huffed feeling defeated. Her hair was still a mess.

Lucas took in her appearance. Peyton looked sad.

He was right. Something was up.

"You're upset." He pointed out softly. "Did you change your mind about dinner? We don't have to go. We can stay home just the two of us." Lucas stepped forward moving closer to Peyton. "Everyone would understand."

Peyton shook her head at him rapidly. "No. It's nothing like that." She spit out quickly in reply. She looked up noticing for the first time how intently Lucas was staring at her.

It sent chills down her spine.

"It's just…" She lost her nerve. "Just forget it. It's stupid." She shook her head once again moving away from Lucas and retreating back towards the bathroom sink, staring at her appearance once more. "And I'm just gonna feel even more stupid for bringing it up."

"I'm sure it's not stupid." Lucas followed her movements and stood behind her, looking past her shoulder at both of their reflections in the mirror. "What's wrong? Talk to me." He urged.

Peyton's head fell, she closed her eyes once more while taking in a deep breath and then exhaling. She lifted her head, but didn't turn to face him. It was easier to talk to him through the mirror. "I just don't like the way I look right now, that's all. No big deal." She replied trying to brush it aside for his sake.

Lucas' face fell into a slight pout not quite comprehending the situation. "What are you talking about? You look great."

Peyton released a snort.

"I'm serious." Lucas reassured. "You always look great."

"Trust me." He added while sending her a playful wink.

Peyton's eyes dropped down feeling a slight blush coming on.

She began to fidget with her hands. "It's just my hair –" She paused. "Or lack thereof…" She trailed off sheepishly.

"Oh…that." Lucas picked up on her meaning as his eyes wandered towards the spot situated at the back of her skull. The very spot that had caused her to lose so much of the past.

"I just didn't really notice it until now…I didn't realize it looked like that back there." She sighed. "It took me by surprise I guess. I know it must sound stupid."

"It doesn't sound stupid at all." Lucas replied without skipping a beat.

"I've been trying to pin my hair back to cover it but… it's not coming out the way I want." She added feeling frustrated. "I just got more upset when I couldn't fix it." She admitted. "It's stupid. I'm being stupid."

Lucas sighed. He hated seeing her like this with her confidence and self-esteem dwindling these days. It was a side of Peyton he hadn't seen in a very long time. The last time Lucas had seen Peyton this insecure was when she had first started Red Bedroom Records. She was completely terrified in the beginning because she felt like she had no clue over what she was doing. "You look great." He repeated once more. His hands found their way towards her shoulders and rested there. "You're beautiful."

"I feel ugly." She muttered honestly.

Lucas gave her shoulders a healthy squeeze. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you're far from it. You've just got a little battle scar that's all. It's kind of badass if you ask me. Toughest girl I know."

Peyton expected to tense up from Lucas' touch, but it had the opposite effect in this instance. She felt relaxed. His touch was comforting. "It's really not that little." She pointed out. "And everyone will be able to see it clearly."

"It's just hair Peyt. It will grow back." He reminded her while giving her shoulders another squeeze. "And you have nothing to feel embarrassed about. You really do look amazing." Sure the scar was noticeable, but it didn't change anything for Lucas. His wife looked gorgeous. She would always look perfect to him. His attraction for her would never fade.

Peyton remained unconvinced though she did feel a little better after listening to Lucas' words. He really was too good to her. She didn't deserve it. She was still hot and cold with him most days. He must have hated her for it too.

"Here." He declared releasing his hold from her shoulders and grabbing the hair pins Peyton had abandoned on the bathroom counter. He placed them in her right hand. "C'mon I'll help you, just tell me what to do." He gently began collecting her hair in his hands. "Though I can't make any promises that whatever I end up doing won't look completely jacked up. In fact I can pretty much guarantee that." He said with a grin.

Peyton chuckled her spirits lifting up a bit. "Okay." She said sending him a smile through the mirror. "Thank you Lucas." She added softly.

Lucas returned the smile before focusing back on Peyton's hair. "Though I have had some practice doing my little sister's hair when I've had to get her ready for school. Any chance you'd be interested in wearing your hair in two pigtails this evening?" He joked as she watched him wiggle his eyebrows at her through the mirror.

Peyton laughed so hard she was practically crying.

It was official. Her husband was kind of a dork.

* * *

"So do you remember what we told you earlier?" Nathan Scott questioned his youngest kid. He kneeled on the floor looking at her square in the eyes. He raised an eyebrow at his daughter shortly after she sent him a confused look. "About Aunt Peyton?" He gently reminded her.

The three year old in front of Nathan let out an exasperated sigh but nodded nonetheless. "Yes." She huffed clearly displeased.

"Aunt Peyton is a little confused about a lot of things right now, so we're gonna take it easy with her, right?" Nathan knew very well that his daughter was a force to be reckoned with. Overall she was a good kid, but she still had a tendency to do whatever she felt like whenever she felt like it. Unlike Jamie, who had been more of a ruler-follower at that age, Lydia was much fonder of breaking the rules whenever she saw fit. And that little ball of energy loved Peyton and usually went into hyper-mode whenever her favorite aunt was present. For the past few days Haley and Nathan had been coaching both kids – but more specifically Lydia – on how to behave around Peyton.

Lydia begrudgingly nodded once more. "Daddy?"

"Yes munchkin?"

"Is Aunt Peyton not gonna play wif me?" She pouted.

"She might, but you have to ask her first instead of dragging her away like you usually do." Nathan informed her. "And if Aunt Peyton's not up to it, that's okay too. There are a lot of other people here who would be happy to play with you, like Aunt Brooke."

"She doesn't do da funny voices as good as Aunt Peyton." Lydia quietly grumbled.

 _Did his three year old just roll her eyes at him?_

Nathan shook his head. She must have picked that up from Jamie. "What was that?" Nathan asked testing her.

"Nothing." She sighed dramatically.

"You'll be good?"

"I be good daddy."

"That's my girl." Nathan pulled her into a giant hug placing a wet kiss on the top of her forehead causing Lydia to giggle. "Take it easy okay?" He reminded her once more after pulling back.

Lydia nodded.

The loud sound of the buzzer rang throughout the apartment.

"That must be them!" Brooke announced as she ran over to the intercom to buzz Lucas and Peyton inside the building. She turned around noticing that everyone was standing right behind her suddenly. They stood there in silence looking awkward as hell, clearly not knowing what to do with themselves. She frowned. "Could you guys be more awkward?" She questioned. They would all be crowding Peyton as soon as she opened the door.

Nathan, Haley and Julian all shrugged in response.

"No, no, this will not do." Brooke shook her head. "Let's try to look more natural people, shall we? We can't have Peyton freaking out before she even steps one foot into the apartment." She scolded the adults. "Go make yourselves look busy or something."

No one moved.

"Go!" She urged using her bossy voice and springing the trio into action. "Shoo!" She waved them off.

Not that it helped much.

The awkwardness did not dissipate in the slightest, in fact it looked worse. Haley had opted to fluff some throw pillows on the couch, while Nathan –who had never been interested in art a day in his life – was suddenly fascinated with a painting hanging in the hall. Meanwhile Julian had busied himself with rearranging some decorative candles sitting on their bookshelf. One of the candles slipped from his hands hitting the ground and rolling all the way down until it hit Brooke's feet.

The disapproving frown on Brooke's face sank even deeper. They looked more like the three stooges in her opinion. "Oh just forget it!" She barked out exasperatedly kicking the candle back towards her husband. "That looks even worse. You guys are pathetic." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand and headed towards the door knowing Lucas and Peyton would be arriving any second.

There was a knock on the door and Brooke swung the door open immediately.

"Hi guys!" Brooke greeted pulling them inside her home. "Welcome." They entered greeting Brooke and stepping inside. "So glad we could do this!" She added as she hugged them both and planted a kiss on their cheeks respectively. "Peyton you look awesome! I really like that dress, even though it's not one of mine, but I'll forgive you this time." The brunette playfully joked.

Peyton accepted the complement with a shrug of her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Lucas sending her an all-knowing look.

"Your hair is different. I don't think I've ever seen you wear it up like that." Brooke commented inspecting the hairdo.

"Oh you know, just trying something new." Peyton replied shrugging her shoulders once more. She could see Lucas' poor attempt at suppressing a grin. Poor guy, he had spent an agonizing thirty minutes trying to help Peyton get her hair right. Towards the end they had ended up bickering over what hair style looked best. It was quite the comical sight.

Her hair was far from perfect. It was a little messy, but passable.

"Well I like it." Brooke said.

"We brought dessert." Peyton held up the pie in her hands eager to move on.

"Perfect." Brooke replied as she closed the door behind them.

"Sorry we're so late." The blonde apologized. "Totally my fault."

"Nonsense, you're right on time. As you can see everyone else is already here. And you remember Julian right Peyton?"

Peyton nodded greeting Julian with a small wave. Brooke had introduced them while she had still been in the hospital. He had visited a couple of other times after that.

"Hey guys." Lucas greeted Julian, Haley and Nathan as they walked over to say hello.

"Aunt Peyton, Aunt Peyton, Aunt Peyton!" Lydia Scott scurried from her parents' side making a mad dash for the blonde. Haley had tried catching her but Lydia was quicker.

"LYDIA!" Both Nathan and Haley called out, but the littlest Scott paid them no mind making her way over to Peyton and wrapping her tiny limbs around Peyton's right leg immediately.

The unexpected welcome had knocked Peyton off balance that she had almost dropped the pie in her hands. Luckily Lucas had caught her back and straightened her out before that could happen.

"Lydia over here _now_." Nathan said in a firm tone clearly unhappy. Apparently it was going to be in one ear and out the other with his daughter today.

Knowing she was in trouble Lydia just tightened her grip around Peyton's leg.

Lucas went down on one knee. "Hey what about me princess? I get no love?" He teased giving her a pout.

"Hi Uncle Lucas." Lydia automatically greeted but still refused to move an inch.

Both Lucas and Peyton looked down at Lydia and then at each other before they began laughing.

"I think that belongs to me." Haley announced ready to scoop up her child. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Peyton shook her head stopping her. "Haley right?"

Haley nodded immediately. "It's really good to see you Peyton. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks." Peyton replied giving her an awkward smile. Right next to Haley stood Nathan. He looked so different, so…manly – definitely not the baby faced teen she remembered from high school. "Hello Nathan." She greeted him deciding to get it over with. Since they had so much history together- most of it bad – Peyton wasn't entirely sure how to go about greeting an ex who just so happened to be her brother-in-law now.

"Looking good Sawyer." Nathan awkwardly leaned over making sure not to crush his kid and surprised Peyton with quick hug.

Peyton kept her lips tight. Well that was awkward, especially since her and Nathan had not ended on the best of terms in high school. She wondered how they managed to get over that hurdle now that they were technically family.

Both Haley and Nathan moved on and greeted Lucas exchanging hugs.

"Aunt Peyton are yous gonna play wif me?" Lydia interrupted getting Peyton to look back down at the child still wrapped around her leg. "Daddy said I haves to ask first."

Nathan rolled his eyes. _At least she somewhat listened._

"How about we give Peyton some space first bub?" Haley gently removed her daughter's death grip on Peyton and placed her a few steps back.

"So can we play?" An impatient Lydia repeated demanding an answer.

Peyton chuckled. "She always this bossy?"

"Only when she wants to get her way, which is pretty much every day." Haley quipped.

Jamie who had been unusually quiet up until this point stepped up to greet Lucas.

Lucas looked down at his mini-me before hugging him. "Man you've gotten big." He commented unable to believe how tall Jamie was now. He tried to remember when was the last time he had seen his nephew. It had been awhile.

"Hi Uncle Lucas." Jamie greeted as they pulled apart. "Hi Aunt Peyton." He greeted her shyly sending her a wave.

"Hey there." Peyton smiled waving back.

"This kid is looking more and more like his incredibly handsome uncle. Nate you should be relieved he got my side of the family gene pool since I'm the much better looking brother." Lucas stated with a hint of arrogance in his tone.

Peyton couldn't help but nod in agreement. The kid did look an awful lot like Lucas. The only thing Jamie and Nathan shared were those blue eyes, but then again Lucas had a matching pair as well.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "You wish." He scoffed.

Ignoring his brother Lucas continued. "Jamie thank your lucky stars you were blessed with this face…" The blonde pointed to his own face. "…and not cursed with that ugly mug." He finished off while pointing at Nathan.

Jamie burst out laughing.

"You done yet?" Nathan said deadpanned.

"Not even close little brother." Lucas grinned sending his brother a shake of the head.

"Well while you two very grown adults continue to pick on each other like small children, Jamie and I are gonna go finish setting the table." Haley announced. "I can take that Peyton." She took the pie that Peyton was holding and disappeared towards the dining room with Jamie in tow.

"I should go check on the turkey babe." Julian gave his wife a quick peck on the lips. "Please make yourself at home Peyton." He added before taking his leave.

"Can we play now?" Lydia stomped her foot clearly unhappy that her question had been ignored.

"Lydia…" Nathan gave her an all-knowing look that it was time for her to readjust that attitude.

Lydia huffed and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Hey you know what Liddy?" Brooke cut in predicting a temper tantrum erupting in the very near future. "Aunt Peyton hasn't seen the whole apartment yet. Can you believe it? I was going to give her a tour, but I think Peyton would like it more if you gave the tour. I bet it would make it extra special." She spoke very excitedly in order to engage the little girl. "What do you say?"

Lydia paused in deep thought before breaking into a grin and nodding enthusiastically.

"That's my girl." Brooke smiled sending her a wink.

"C'mon Aunt Peyton I gives you a tour!" Lydia proudly announced giggling as she grabbed a hold of the blonde's hand and began to skip down the hall dragging Peyton along for the ride.

Nathan mouthed a quick thank you to Brooke.

"No problem." She winked at the boys before taking her leave to catch up to Peyton and Lydia.

"So…" Nathan began now that it was just the two of them. "You screw up your marriage yet?"

"Ha ha ha." Lucas responded sarcastically.

"Seriously though, how have things been between you two these last few days since she came home?"

Lucas blew out air from his lips. It was followed by a loud sigh. Honestly he didn't even know where to begin. Things weren't bad, but they were far from perfect. It was mostly awkward and even though he and Peyton were in each other's presence most of the time it still felt…lonely. Lucas felt lonely and he was pretty sure Peyton was feeling the exact same way.

"You need a drink first don't you?" Nathan offered sensing the distress written all over Lucas' face.

"Yes." Lucas quickly replied. "Maybe more than one." He joked.

"That I can help you with." Nathan replied as he slapped a hand on Lucas' back as the brothers made their way towards the Baker's home bar.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Peyton found herself sitting in-between Julian and Nathan on the couch in the entertainment room.

Yup you heard right. Brooke and Julian's apartment was that big that they had both a living room and entertainment room, though Peyton could barely tell the difference. But apparently when you were as rich as Brooke Davis having multiple living rooms wasn't something one gave a second thought to or any thought really. There was another area in the apartment that suspiciously also looked like another living room with the exception that it had a fire place. Fuck that, Brooke wasn't rich – back in high school Brooke had been rich before her family had gone broke – no, now she was wealthy. It was crazy.

But anyway here she was sandwiched between two men - one whom she barely knew and the other was the guy she had lost her virginity to at age fifteen, who also happens to be her husband's brother.

 _Everything was just peachy._

They were sitting on the couch watching Lucas and Jamie, who were sitting down on the area rug playing some basketball video game on this colossal flat screen that practically took up the entire wall. Haley had put Lydia down for her afternoon nap some time ago and had left to join Brooke in the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.

"Jamie watch your left." Nathan coached from his spot on the couch. Jamie obeyed quickly blocking Lucas' player on the left from stealing the ball.

"Hey no cheating!" Lucas whined regarding Nathan's unsolicited assistance. He then watched his nine year old nephew make a two-pointer effectively wining the game. "I am so out of shape." He complained tossing the controller to Nathan signaling it was his turn.

"No dude, you just suck." Nathan took Lucas' spot on the floor and Lucas rejoined Peyton on the couch.

"Shut up." Lucas tossed a throw pillow at Nathan's head. "Having fun yet?" He whispered to Peyton who looked completely bored out of her mind.

"Loads." She quipped before taking a swig of the whiskey sour Julian had made her.

"You should have a go next round." Lucas suggested.

"Yea you should, you're pretty good." Julian spoke chiming in.

"Pfft." Peyton huffed looking back and forth between the two men like they were crazy. "I've never played a video game a day in my life."

"Oh I converted you over to the dark side ages ago." Lucas informed her sporting a smug look across his lips.

Julian chuckled.

"I've taught you well and Julian's right you can definitely hold your own against us guys."

Peyton shook her head unable to believe that now she had become some sort of video game junkie thanks to Lucas. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass." She gulped down the remainder of her drink. "Though I wouldn't be opposed to another one of these." She raised and wiggled her empty glass at Julian grinning.

"Coming right up." Julian took her empty glass and went to fix Peyton her drink.

"You doing okay?" Lucas took the opportunity to ask now that they were alone on the couch. Nathan and Jamie were way too occupied with their game to eavesdrop.

"I'm fine Lucas." Peyton replied giving him an exasperated look. "You really don't have to keep asking me that like every five seconds you know."

"I know that, but I just wanna double check that you aren't uncomfortable or feeling weird." He reasoned.

Peyton chuckled. "Of course I feel uncomfortable and weird." She bluntly stated. "It'd be weird if I didn't feel that way honestly." She pointed out.

Realizing she had a point Lucas chuckled as well. "Okay so maybe that's fair considering the circumstances."

"I'd also like to point out that everyone else here looks uncomfortable and is acting kind of weird."

"That's not true." Lucas defended.

"So true." Peyton said mockingly. "With the exception of Lydia, everyone here is treading lightly around me. It's like everyone expects me to have some kind of major freak-out because I can't remember them."

"No one thinks that. No one wants to overwhelm you with all these new faces, that's all." He reassured her.

"Well did you notice how Brooke and Haley didn't ask me to join them in the kitchen?"

"You're a guest. They just wanted you to relax."

Peyton rolled her eyes. Last time she checked Haley was a guest as well. "It's insulting that's what it is." She retorted. "I have amnesia not some sort of chronic disorder that prevents me from helping make dinner. I feel babied. I'm not that fragile." She complained. "They're probably in there right now gossiping about me."

"Okay now you're just being paranoid." Lucas teased. "And did it ever occur to you to just go into the kitchen and offer to help?"

Peyton paused.

 _It hadn't._

Well he had her there.

"Are you seriously mad at Brooke and Haley?" He questioned skeptically.

Peyton sank further into the couch cushions and sighed. "No. Not really." She shook her head. "Ignore me, I'm just being weird because I feel weird." She explained in defeat. "I don't know how to do this Lucas." She whispered quietly not wanting the other boys to hear her.

"Do what?" Lucas leaned in closer to hear her better.

Peyton shrugged. "Start over." She replied looking sad.

"Listen to me." Lucas looked over making sure Nathan and Jamie were still too distracted to overhear before returning his attention on Peyton. "I know everything feels really scary right now and your mind has probably been on autopilot since you woke up, but you are not alone here." He placed his left hand over her right. "I'll help you." He gave her hand a tight squeeze in an effort to reassure her. "I'll help you get through this."

Peyton quickly nodded swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. "You promise?" Brooke had been right all along – Lucas was a good man. He made her feel safe even though she was only starting to get to know him.

"I promise." He replied his deep blue eyes penetrating her green ones.

Peyton squeezed his hand right back.

She believed him.

* * *

Thanksgiving dinner continues in the next chapter. Until then show me some love guys and review your little hearts out!


	11. The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret

Back with a new chapter and it totally didn't take me a month to do it this time! Yay!

I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but thanks for all the amazing feedback as always. You guys rock! We're not that far off from hitting the 100 mark on reviews, lets make it happen guys, so close!

Titled track for this chapter: 'The Lost Art of Keeping A Secret' by Queens of the Stone Age

* * *

Chapter 11: The Lost Art of Keeping A Secret

"So I've been meaning to ask." Haley began as she poured the dressing she had prepared over the salad bowl in front of her.

"Mmm…" Brooke muttered distractedly. "Do you smell that?" The brunette questioned interrupting Haley's train of thought.

"Smell what?" Haley asked as she began to toss the salad making sure the dressing coated evenly.

Brooke's nose wrinkled in disgust. She began sniffing around trying to locate the smell. "You really don't smell that?" She frowned making her way around her large kitchen.

"Well if you'd tell me what I'm supposed to be smelling then maybe you'd get your answer." Haley quipped sarcastically.

"Cinnamon." Brooke replied, this time her entire face wrinkled in disgust. The smell became stronger when she reached Haley. "Did you put cinnamon in the salad?" The brunette interrogated as she examined the salad before sniffing around some more.

"Of course not." Haley rolled her eyes and went back to mixing the salad. "Also, you're being weird."

Brooke ignored her friend. "Oh it's coming from you!" Brooke declared as her nose took a deep whiff of Haley's chocolate locks. She immediately pulled back fighting the urge to gag. These days there were plenty of smells that had all of a sudden become vomit inducing thanks to those two tiny buns she currently had in the oven.

"Oh yea it's this new conditioner I'm using, it has a hint of cinnamon in it." Haley stated taking a quick whiff of her own hair. "How in the world did you even smell that from all the way over there?" She questioned sporting a perplexed look across her face. The scent of her new conditioner wasn't overly powerful. "Also are you feeling alright, because you look like you're about to blow some serious chunks." Haley frowned slightly in concern.

"I'm cool." Brooke replied rather unconvincingly before quickly scattering to the other side of the kitchen desperate to get away from that nauseating cinnamon smell.

"So we're just gonna totally bypass the fact that you were just sniffing my hair like some obsessed creepster?" Haley looked over at Brooke with both eyebrows raised.

"What was it that you wanted to ask me Hales?" Brooke said sweetly ignoring the look Haley was sending her from across the kitchen.

Haley frowned. "You're being weird again." She commented before refocusing on the salad once more. "But yes I did want to ask you something." Satisfied with the salad Haley set it aside before grabbing a baguette and began cutting the bread into even slices.

"Well? Spit it out Hales." Brooke said impatiently as she opened a window in hopes of alleviating her nausea with some fresh air. She really couldn't afford to feel sick right now. Her nerves were already on edge with this dinner. Everything just had to go perfect tonight. Brooke needed it to be perfect. For Peyton.

"I was just wondering how you were doing these days." Haley replied. "Everything's been so crazy and I just wanted to make sure someone was checking up on you too."

"I'm fine. Never better." Brooke replied still completely dismissing the concern look her friend was wearing.

Haley raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She wasn't buying it. "Because I'm not fine. One of my closest friends almost died last month and now she has no idea who I am, so I can't even begin to imagine what you must be going through. You and Peyton have been best friends since you were little kids Brooke."

Brooke's shoulders dropped as she let out a breath. "I'm just trying to be there for my best friend as best as I can Haley. We almost lost her, but then we didn't. She's not whole yet, but she'll get there eventually. So yea it's hard sometimes, but…this could have ended a lot differently. It could have been so worse. I'm just trying to focus on Peyton as best as I can."

Haley nodded. "I get that and you're a terrific friend Brooke. You have always been so. I just get the impression that you're probably bearing most of the weight – probably even more so than Lucas – because you're the only one Peyton remembers enough to trust and confide in." This was all speculation of course, but Haley was usually dead on when it came to her hunches.

Brooke nodded slowly. It felt wrong to complain considering the circumstances. "It can be overwhelming sometimes I guess." She sheepishly admitted looking over as Haley. It has been hard at times, but Brooke felt like she needed to hold it together for Peyton's sake. "Sometimes it's like I don't even know how I'm supposed to act around her." She confessed to Haley. "Am I supposed to treat her like present day Peyton or the Peyton from eight years ago? Peyton was so different back then, hell we all were." She sighed in defeat. "And even worse sometimes I feel so guilty."

"Guilty about what?"

"Lucas." Brooke released another sigh. "I feel awful that she remembers me and not him. It's not fair. No husband deserves that, especially not Lucas."

"There's nothing you can do about that Brooke." Haley softly reminded her. "It's completely out of our control. It's completely out of Peyton's control."

"Still doesn't make me feel any less shitty." The brunette mumbled. "Plus now I feel worse for complaining about it."

"I would hardly call this complaining." Haley reassured her. "You're allowed to feel lost too Brooke. In a weird way I think we're all kind of mourning the fact that we've lost the Peyton we know – temporarily at least. Everyone's still adjusting and it's okay to admit that out loud."

"If I could switch places with Lucas I would. In a heartbeat." She whispered sadly. "I mean what if Peyton never remembers?" Brooke added suddenly looking terrified.

"You're being too hard on yourself." Haley crossed over immediately embracing her friend in a hug. She felt for her.

"That's the first time I've let myself say it out loud." Brooke confessed after the two friends pulled apart. "I've been too afraid to say it out loud because I figure if I don't then it can never happen, right?"

Haley nodded in understanding. "Everything will change if she doesn't." She stated fearfully. Truthfully she'd rather not think about it. Peyton just had to remember.

"Okay." Brooke said smacking her hands together unexpectedly. "I can't talk about this anymore. It's way too depressing and this…this right now…with everyone here, together…that makes me happy. The important thing is that Peyton is here and we're all here together, and I just want us to focus on that." She said forcing a smile. "I want us to enjoy the time we have together these next few days."

"I couldn't agree more." Haley replied.

"Good." Brooke said sporting a much more genuine smile this time around. "I think dinner is pretty much set." She declared taking one last look around before ripping off her apron and tossing it aside. "Should we start getting this food on the table then?"

"Sounds good." Haley said before slipping into a pause. Her brown eyes scanned Brooke for the first time without her apron on.

She looked different.

"What?" Brooke slowly shook her head looking confused. "Hello? Earth to Hales!" She snapped her fingers to get Haley's attention.

Haley remained silent tilting her head to the side a bit as she took another glance over at Brooke. "You look different." She mused.

Brooke was…

curvier.

That was it. That was definitely it.

"I haven't done anything different." Brooke coolly replied though on the inside she was a panicky mess. She was still keeping her pregnancy under wraps at the moment. "Same ol' me."

"Your ass got bigger!" Haley blurted out accusingly.

"Excuse you!" Brooke exclaimed offended. "I. Do. Not. Have a big ass!" She defended placing a hand over her chest. "And when did you get so mean tutor wife?!"

"And your boobs got bigger too!" Haley added. "And I didn't say you had a big ass, just that you have a little more junk in that trunk. You have definitely filled out a little more then the last time I saw you. And you look fantastic may I add."

Brooke froze slightly. It was true she was a little curvier these days, something that Julian had been very vocal in his appreciation, causing Brooke to flush every time he brought it up. "Um, thanks I guess." She mumbled awkwardly, inwardly cursing at Haley's observant nature. Brooke had come to learn over the years that it was pretty much impossible to get anything past Haley. A little more digging and she would figure it out.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Haley asked noticing how tense Brooke was all of a sudden. She was clearly hiding something, that much was obvious.

"Yes, nothing my big boobs and giant new ass can't handle." Brooke sarcastically delivered.

Haley held up her hands surrendering. "Alright, I get it. I'm done. You just seem a little overly sensitive that's all." Haley practically sang out.

"Well you did just call me fat." Brooke pointed out.

"I did not!" Haley defended. "I believe I said you look fantastic."

"Can we just get the rest of the food out on the table?" Brooke deflected. "Everyone is probably starving."

"Sure Brooke." Haley picked up the salad ready to take it to the dining room table.

Brooke was being weird and she racked her brain over trying to pinpoint the exact cause behind it. Surely gaining a couple of pounds wasn't the reason. It couldn't be. So what was it then? In her mind Haley continued to replay the scene that just occurred between the two friends, trying to identify anything out of the ordinary.

And then it hit her.

Her hair conditioner. The faint smell of cinnamon that Brooke had somehow miraculously caught a whiff of from across the kitchen. Brooke had looked like she was about to throw up the second she had smelled it.

Haley's eyes widened. "Oh my god!" She screamed practically slamming the salad bowl back against the kitchen counter. It was a miracle it hadn't shattered into pieces. "You're pregnant!" She screamed even louder. It all made sense now really – the weight gain, Brooke's bloodhound nose, and earlier today Haley had seen Julian briefly skirt his hand across Brooke's stomach – though at the time she thought nothing of it.

Brooke rolled her eyes.

Okay she figured it out.

Though she didn't have to yell the news for the whole building to hear.

"Would you shut up!" She hissed.

Thank god for her large apartment otherwise everyone would have heard Haley's unwelcomed outburst.

"Oh my god!" Haley repeated, thankfully this time her voice had lowered a few octaves.

"Yes I think I heard you the first time." Brooke sighed breaking into a chuckle.

"Are you really pregnant?" Haley squeaked suddenly getting a little emotional. She was well aware of all the fertility issues Brooke had in the past. Her getting pregnant had been pretty much impossible. Last Haley heared Brooke and Julian had already taken initial steps in the adoption process, both desperate for a child to call their own.

Brooke silently nodded, her lower lip slightly quivering as her eyes began to water a bit. Most days she still couldn't believe it herself.

Haley's eyes lit up once more. "Dude you are so pregnant!" She playfully shoved Brooke before pulling her into a crushing hug. "This is so exciting!" She exclaimed.

Brooke practically melted into the embrace. It felt really good to finally tell someone after keeping silent these past few months.

"I can't believe you're pregnant!" Haley exclaimed pulling apart from Brooke a little. She clasped her hands over Brooke's arms shaking her a bit from the excitement she was feeling. "I'm so happy for you!" She said completely sincere. "I mean how did this even happen?"

"Well Hales, when a man and a woman love each other very much…" Brooke began in a serious tone.

"Alright, alright…" Haley rolled her eyes releasing Brooke. "What I meant was I thought you couldn't get pregnant in the first place." She reminded her.

"I don't know, it just happened!" Brooke said excitedly as she wiped away a couple of stray tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry I was being so weird earlier. It's just that besides Julian, you're the first person I've told and we weren't planning on telling anyone yet, so I kind of freaked out. But of course you are too smart for your own good Haley James Scott." She politely took a step back from Haley. The smell of cinnamon was starting to get to her again.

"And nosey." Haley mischievously winked.

Brooke laughed. "Yes, that too."

"Wait, why haven't you told anyone yet? How far along are you?"

Brooke placed a single hand over her small baby bump. She had dressed in an all black dress this evening to hide it better. "Four months." She replied.

"Four months?! Brooke I could kill you for not telling us yet!"

"We were gonna share the news last month at Jamie's birthday party, since everyone was going to be together, but then the accident happened and I just thought it would be best to hold off for a while. Besides Julian, I wanted Peyton to be the first to know..."

"Oh I kind of ruined that didn't I?" Haley interrupted. "Sorry." She spoke regretfully.

Brooke shook her head. "It's okay." In truth she was glad Haley had figured it out. Brooke felt a little lighter not surprisingly.

"How come you haven't told Peyton yet?" Haley wondered.

Brooke shrugged. "She's just going through so much right now, I figured it could wait." She said somewhat sadly. "I didn't want to rub my good news in her face."

"Brooke, you're pregnant. This is amazing news." Haley said. "You and Julian shouldn't have to hold back on something so wonderful just because you're worried about Peyton. You're allowed to be happy and not feel guilty about it. You can't put your life on hold just because Peyton's trying to figure out hers at the moment. "

"I know but…" Brooke protested.

"No buts." Haley said sternly. "I hate to break it to you, but this baby isn't going to put itself on hold just because mom is to scared to tell her best friend."

"Babies actually." Brooke revealed proudly sporting a huge grin.

"Twins!" Haley screamed out unable to handle the good news.

"Haley!" Brooke hissed at her once more to keep her voice down.

"Whoops sorry!" Haley said quietly. "Twins? Really?"

Brooke quickly nodded.

"Oh Brooke I'm so happy for you. For both of you guys. You're gonna be a great mom." Haley knew how much Brooke had wanted this, for so long now. There was zero doubt in Haley's mind that Brooke was going to rock motherhood. She was more than ready.

"Thanks Hales."

"You should tell Peyton." Haley advised. "She's gonna be happy for you."

"I will." Brooke nodded in agreement. "Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone about the pregnancy until I talk to her first, okay?"

"I promise."

"Thanks."

"Okay, so how bout I finish setting the rest of the food out, while you go get the troops?" Haley suggested.

Brooke nodded. "Sounds good." The brunette smoothed out the skirt of her dress before moving to exit the kitchen. She paused when she reached the doorway. "And Hales?" She turned around to face her friend.

"Yea?"

"Thanks for checking up on me."

Haley smiled. "It's kind of what I do."

* * *

Peyton tucked a loose curl behind her ear as she leaned over and scanned Julian and Brooke's very extensive liquor collection. Needing to refill her glass and not wanting to bother Julian, who was still playing video games with the other guys, Petyon had quietly excused herself from the room and situated herself behind the bar to fix herself a drink. Spotting the mini fridge tucked underneath the bar, she pulled the door open revealing it was fully stocked with beer. Wanting something cold and refreshing, Peyton decided on a beer instead. She twisted the cap off and took a long sip of the cold drink.

A few minutes later Nathan appeared holding an empty glass tumbler of his own. He approached the bar setting his glass down and resting both hands over the countertop. "Hey." He greeted somewhat awkwardly. She had barely said a word to him this evening.

"Hey." The blonde copied the greeting.

Nathan released a breath chuckling at the same time. Usually his smart mouth was always ready with some type of witty comment to thaw out any tense situation, but he wasn't having much luck tonight. Nathan hadn't expected seeing Peyton again would completely throw him off his game. The girl he'd known since grade school staring back at him terrified him a bit. She was different, sure appearance wise she looked exactly the same as before, but nothing else felt the same.

Nathan couldn't even begin to imagine what she was going through. Peyton was far braver than him, that's for sure. If it were him, well Nathan wouldn't know how he'd be able to deal with the circumstances. To him his family was everything. Not being able to remember them, having no recollection of who they are as people and what they mean to him, well that was…unthinkable. Nathan Scott would be the first to admit that he'd be nothing without his perfect family unit.

They made him whole.

He wondered how whole Peyton was feeling these days.

But the fact that she had willingly showed up to have Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of strangers had to count for something.

It meant that she wasn't giving up.

"So..." Nathan mumbled awkwardly realizing they'd both remained silent for some time.

"Yeah…" Peyton released a smile letting Nathan know she'd notice the awkward silence too.

Perhaps an icebreaker was in order she thought to herself.

"Shot?" Peyton suggested innocently while she held up a bottle of tequila.

She didn't have to ask him twice.

"Why the hell not." Nathan responded as he pulled out two shots glasses and let Peyton pour the tequila. "Don't tell Hales." He quickly added sending Peyton his signature smirk she was all too familiar with from their high schools days before clicking their glasses together and downing their shots.

"That's some really smooth stuff." Nathan declared taking the bottle of tequila and inspecting it.

Peyton nodded in agreement as she took a swig of her beer. "Let's do another one." She didn't wait for Nathan's reply and proceed to take the bottle from his hands and refill their shot glasses.

Nathan chuckled. "Glad to see your amnesia hasn't erased your love for shots." He joked grabbing the shot that was handed to him.

"Thank god for small miracles." Peyton mumbled before taking her shot.

"I have no doubt you can still drink everyone in this apartment under the table." Nathan declared reminiscing over how the skinny blonde before him had always managed to hold her liquor well, despite the fact that she weighed practically next to nothing. During high school she had held the record for longest timed keg stand among her peers. Even today Nathan was still baffled over how she managed to do it.

Peyton laughed. With two shots in her she felt a little more relaxed. "Hmmm, well we'll have to test out that theory sometime then." She hummed. "One more?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "Haley will kill me if I get wasted while the kiddos are still running around." He explained.

"C'mon you can't let me drink by myself, no man left behind and whatnot." She tried to reason with him.

"That's the military." Nathan dryly replied.

"Don't be such a baby." She retorted handing Nathan a freshly filled shot before he could protest further.

"Alright last one." He replied giving in.

"Deal." Peyton agreed. This next shot would get a nice buzz going and it made sense to stop there. She had no plans on getting drunk.

"Okay." Nathan lifted his shot to his lips. "But seriously don't tell Hales." He said in a pause before proceeding to gulp down the last shot. Peyton followed suit.

She returned the tequila to its rightful place and reached for her beer. "So are the rumors true then?" She leaned over propping her right arm over the counter while resting her chin on top of her hand.

"Say what?" Nathan questioned as he went around her and helped himself to a beer from the mini fridge.

"Rumor has it you're one of the good guys now." The blonde shared, eyebrows raised suspiciously.

"Is this your polite way of asking me whether or not I'm still an asshole?"

Peyton snorted. "Well I could hardly believe it myself…"

Nathan laughed. "Yea I guess you could say that. I haven't been that guy in a really long time." He admitted before take a sip of his beer. "Seems like a lifetime ago." He wasn't proud of the guy he used to be back then.

"What changed?"

"Haley." Nathan answered without skipping a beat. "She changed everything."

Peyton silently nodded. "Seems like you have a good life now Nate." He had the perfect family and was currently living his dream playing ball in the NBA. Not surprisingly everything had worked out for Nathan. Back then Nathan Scott had always gotten what he wanted, but this time around it sounded like he actually deserved. It wasn't just handed to him like most things had been back when they were teenagers.

"I do." He answered honestly well aware of that simple fact. "I got lucky. It's weird you know because I could have easily been just like Dan – hell I was back then. And then I became a dad around the same time Dan did and having a kid just turned him into this awful, bitter, selfish human being. At first I thought I would feel the same way when Jamie was born, but that feeling never came. The first time I held Jamie it was like another game changer for me, just like Haley was. He didn't ruin my life, he made it better."

Peyton smiled as she listened to Nathan's speech. He really was different now from what she remembered. Married life and being a father clearly suited him. Anyone could see that. "That's really sweet. Good for you Nathan."

"You have a pretty good life too you know." Nathan informed the blonde.

"Even if I can't remember it?" She teased.

Nathan shrugged. "Still doesn't change the fact that you got lucky too." He reasoned.

"And why exactly am I so lucky?"

"Because you were lucky enough to find your game changer. Just like I did."

"Lucas?" She concluded slightly blushing a little.

Nathan gave her a nod. "Lucas." He smirked at Peyton taking notice of the rosy color of her cheeks.

Peyton blew out a breath heavy in thought. "Most of the time it's pretty awkward between us, but recently I've kind of realized that I don't think I can do this without him. Lucas has this weird way of making the days a little more bearable. My gut tells me I can trust him now."

"See? Game changer." Nathan said smugly.

Peyton rolled her eyes playfully.

"And anyway living with Lucas can't possibly be more awkward then having Thanksgiving with two of your exes sitting at the dinner table." He teased.

Peyton sent Nathan a weird look. "What are you talking about?" She asked not catching on to his joke. She took another swig of her beer.

"You know…you and me…you and Julian."

Peyton practically choked upon hearing that last part. She coughed rather loudly, beer not so eloquently spraying out of her lips.

Nathan quickly patted her back as Peyton gasped for air. "What!" She exclaimed once the choking had ceased. "Me and Julian!" Her head whipped around to look at Nathan. "Are you being serious right now?" She continued to stare at him demanding an answer.

Nathan's hand dropped from her back. "Oh. Shit." He closed his eyes tightly releasing another curse from his lips. "You didn't know that did you?" Him and his gigantic mouth. As if things hadn't been awkward enough this evening. "I'm sorry I just assumed Brooke or Lucas had told you. Fuck." He shook his head not believing he had been that stupid.

Peyton had remained silent, her eyes still wide with disbelief, processing this new bit of information that everyone had conveniently failed to mention beforehand.

"Guess I just managed to make this evening even more awkward huh?" Nathan forced a chuckle attempting to ease up the tension. His face quickly fell into a frown when Peyton still didn't say anything. She clearly didn't find any humor in the situation.

Nathan sighed in defeat dragging a hand over his face in frustration. "Seriously though don't tell Hales." He muttered.

His wife was going to kill him.

Well that was if Brooke Davis didn't get to him first.

* * *

Thanksgiving with the gang concludes in the next chapter! I know there wasn't any Leyton in this one, but I wanted a chapter to get inside the heads of some of our other characters and take the opportunity to have Peyton bond a little with someone besides Brooke and Lucas.

Until next time! And please let me know what you guys are thinking!


	12. Pump It Up

Much longer chapter this time than the last two. The words just kept flowing. Enjoy guys and once again thanks for all your support!

Titled track for this chapter: 'Pump It Up' by Elvis Costello

* * *

Chapter 12: Pump It Up

"There you are." Lucas entered the room with Julian trailing behind him. "We were wondering where you two had disappeared off to." Both men headed towards the bar.

Peyton rolled her eyes in annoyance. She was just about to pump Nathan for information regarding her past with Julian when the two decided to make their appearance.

"You guys did shots?" Lucas asked as his eyes drifted towards two empty shot glasses on the table. He then looked over at Nathan shooting his brother a disapproving glare.

"All her idea man." Nathan defended while pointing a lone finger in Peyton's direction.

"Yea and I'm sure you went out of your way to discourage that." Lucas retorted knowing better. Nathan had always been more of the heavier drinker between the two, while Lucas was more of the occasional drinker and even then he mostly stuck with beer.

"Oh trust me he said plenty, probably more than he bargained for." Peyton said with tight lips still feeling somewhat betrayed over the fact that no one had told her about Julian beforehand. Her fingertips tapped over and over again against the countertop. She was internally debating whether or not to put the issue on hold for now since dinner was drawing near.

"Well I probably would have said a lot less if it weren't for that last shot of tequila." Nathan casually replied before finishing off his beer.

Peyton's eyes narrowed at the accusation. "Yes. You were clearly forced into it." She said deadpanned, her buzz completely gone by this point.

Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Am I missing something here?" Julian questioned as he caught the looks exchanged between the two.

"Nothing." Both Nathan and Peyton answered simultaneously.

Lucas picked up on the awkward tension as well. "Okay, seriously what's going on here?"

Nathan sighed. "Nothing. Where's Jamie?" He asked more than happy to shift the topic of conversation in another direction. If Peyton wasn't going to bring it up then he sure as hell wasn't going to either. He rather not acknowledge his loose lips and the fact that he kind of fucked up just now. Then again a heads up might have been nice. How was he supposed to know that no one had told Peyton about her dating Julian all those years ago? A mind reader he was not.

Regardless he was still gonna get chewed out anyway. Nathan knew that much.

"He went looking for Hales and Brooke in the kitchen to see if dinner is almost ready." Lucas replied as he glanced back and forth between Nathan and Peyton. The tension remained.

"That's an excellent idea. I'm starving." Nathan declared quickly, eager to escape his current predicament. "Let's make moves people." He tossed his empty beer bottle in the trash bin.

"Actually Nathan I still need to pick your brain on a few things." Peyton spoke up while sending Nathan a determined look. "Lucas and Julian can go ahead though." She added wasting no time in dismissing them. "We'll catch up shortly."

Nathan visibly cringed.

Both Lucas and Julian exchanged a perplexed look.

"I'm afraid to even ask." Nathan muttered low enough that Lucas could just barely make out the words.

"Alright what's going on here?" Lucas asked for the second time earning him a nod from Julian who confirmed that he was still wondering the exact same thing. "Peyton? What's wrong?" He looked over at the woman who looked completely irked, her poor attempts at masking her current mood had failed to sway everyone in the room. Lucas knew something had upset her. The first giveaway had been the steady tapping of Peyton's fingertips. She only did that when something was bothering her.

"Nothing." Peyton replied in a bored tone.

Lucas released a frustrated sigh as he rolled his eyes. Less than an hour ago she had been squeezing his hand, giving him a small amount of hope that she was finally letting him in, but apparently that moment had been fleeting and here they were back again at square one. Peyton's walls were back up and she had no intention of letting him in. Seeing that she wasn't willing to budge anytime soon, Lucas turned his focus on his brother. "Anything you'd like to add?" He gave Nathan a pointed look.

Nathan groaned and mumbled a curse under his breath. "Okay, fine. I told Peyton that she and Julian used to date." He let out in an annoyed tone. "Apparently she had no clue. Not that anyone bothered to tell me that little detail. A heads up would have been nice." He muttered.

"Oh yes because you're the one who definitely needed the heads up." Peyton snapped.

"Peyton I said I was sorry! How is this my fault?" Nathan said defensively. "Anyway it's really not a big deal –"

She cut him off immediately. "It is a _big_ deal." Peyton replied through gritted teeth. How could he not see that? And exactly what else were they keeping from her?

Lucas shook his head in annoyance. He turned to Julian. "Brooke didn't tell her?" The fact that Peyton hadn't known was news to him. Brooke had filled in many blanks for Peyton during those weeks in the hospital, he assumed this had been one of them.

"No." Julian replied shaking his head in defeat.

"Why the hell not?" Peyton practically growled.

"Because this is exactly what she was trying to avoid." Julian answered avoiding eye contact with the blonde. "She didn't want it to be weird and awkward when it didn't have to be."

"Well mission accomplished." Nathan sneered. "Great plan." He added, the sarcasm in his voice inescapable.

"Need I remind you that this is all your fault." Julian pointed at Nathan accusingly.

"Enough." Lucas interrupted as Nathan opened his mouth no doubt about to strike back with some smartass comment.

"How is this my fault?" Nathan demanded completely ignoring his brother's wishes.

"Weren't you the one who told her genius?" Julian replied stating the obvious.

"That's not the point." Nathan defended. "How was I supposed to know that she wasn't told?"

"She has a name." Peyton barked. Her irritation only deepened as Nathan and Julian continued to bicker back and forth completely ignoring her. They were talking about her as if she wasn't standing right there.

"This is getting ridiculous." Lucas chimed in as his brother and close friend continued to butt heads – Nathan defending his slipup, while Julian defended his wife's actions. "Stop it you two." He shot Peyton a sympathetic look feeling completely embarrassed over the whole situation. He could practically feel the heat rising from Peyton's head. He needed to put an end to this quick if he had any chance of salvaging this evening.

"I dunno what the big deal is anyway. So you two hooked up, it was like a million years ago anyway." Nathan shrugged his shoulders not seeing what all the fuss was about. "We've all been friends for years now and it's never been an issue before."

"Dude." Lucas groaned shaking his head at Nathan. He really didn't need a mental image of his wife and Julian being together. "Not cool." He glared at Nathan.

"The issue is that Peyton doesn't remember any of those things you idiot." Julian reminded him before releasing his own frustrated groan. It was amazing really at how insensitive Nathan could be at times and be completely clueless about it. Unfortunately maturity for Nathan had not come with its own filter. Nathan tended to blurt out most things without a second thought. "So yes it would be a big deal." Julian then turned to Peyton. "And for the record we never slept together." It was his turn to be blunt right now.

Peyton made face. Embarrassment didn't even begin to cover what she was feeling right now.

"Dude." Lucas groaned again. He couldn't believe the conversation had veered in this direction.

"What?!" Julian exclaimed. "He made a false assumption and I corrected it." He defended placing his arms across his chest.

"Can we just move on and stop talking about you and Peyton hooking up." Lucas pleaded. "In case you two forgot I'm still the husband over here."

"Me and Peyton were together years ago and you got over it." Nathan stated completely brushing off Lucas' discomfort.

At that point Peyton prayed for the walls to cave in on her or at least for the floorboards to swallow her whole, whatever was quicker. This was absolutely mortifying. Maybe Brooke was on to something by not telling her about Julian. Blissful ignorance was looking pretty good right now and Nathan Scott had ruined that.

"Shut. Up. Nathan." Lucas spat through gritted teeth. It wasn't that he got over the fact that his wife and brother had dated for three years per se, it was more like Lucas had chosen to block that time period out of his mind.

"Well we didn't and I was just making that clear." Julian decided to chime in.

"Yea, yea we got it the first time." Nathan said dismissively. "You know if I were you I wouldn't be bragging about how I couldn't close the deal." Nathan stated getting in one last punch. He hadn't appreciated Julian of all people jumping down his throat. It really had been an honest mistake.

"NATHAN!" Lucas barked, his patience waning by this point. He couldn't believe that had just came out of Nathan's mouth. Thanksgiving or not, Lucas had no qualms about sucker punching his younger brother this evening.

Nathan visibly cringed for the second time this evening. He shut his eyes. "That came out wrong." He said regretfully. "It was uncalled for, I'm sorry." He apologized.

Julian huffed. "You're a jackass." He stated making it clear that Nathan wasn't so easily forgiven.

"I need another drink." Peyton grumbled out aware of the fact that at this point none of them were paying her any mind. She eyed the door wondering if she could manage to escape the room without them noticing. Nathan and Julian had jumped into another argument with Lucas joining in, clearly pissed off at Nathan for that ill-timed comment of his. They were all pretty distracted at the moment, so it couldn't be that hard to sneak away. It was clear she wasn't going to get any answers here anyway.

She was about to make her move too when the real offender behind this whole mess appeared through the doorway.

"There you guys are dinner is ready." Brooke stated interrupting Nathan, Lucas and Julian mid-argument. "What the hell is going on here?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion when the three of them had halted their argument and somewhat comically turned the heads to look over at the brunette, looking like they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Oh you know the usual…" Peyton grabbed her beer walking towards the door. "Apparently I've been around the block with all the men in this group." She shot her friend a dirty look and disappeared from the room without another word.

"Huh?" Brooke said looking completely baffled.

"Again, just to clarify, we did not have sex!" Julian nervously called out after Peyton exited the room. Nathan snickered loudly ready to open his mouth again, but Julian beat him to it smacking the back of his head before he could utter a word.

"What the hell?" Brooke exclaimed completely startled by her husband's outburst. "Oh no…no, no, no…." She grimaced suddenly putting it all together in her head. Her hands clenched into tight fists, shaking them anxiously realizing she was in such deep shit right now. "What did you three idiots do?!" She screeched out in disbelief. She began to pace back forth across the room in a nervous fashion.

Both Lucas and Julian took a step back away from Nathan, having zero reservations about giving him up on the spot. Experience had taught them well and you did not want to be on the receiving end of Brooke Davis' wrath.

"Traitors." Nathan hissed at the two.

"You." Brooke glared spotting the guilty look written across Nathan's face. So apparently he was the culprit. "What did you do?" She stomped in his direction and delivered a hard poke to his chest with a lone finger.

"Ouch." Nathan complained rubbing the spot she had poked. "Easy there B. Davis."

Brooke remained silent sending him a deadly glare.

Nathan gulped promptly shutting up. He knew better than to push his luck at this point. Out of all the women in his life, Brooke Davis was the most terrifying to deal with when angry. She was also the hardest to please.

"Nathan Scott you are ruining my Thanksgiving!" Brooke whined giving him another hard poke in the chest. "What were you thinking?" She tossed her hands up shaking them in frustration.

"I –" Nathan began.

She cut him off. "Well apparently you weren't thinking at all were you?!" Brooke exclaimed as she began to pace again. This was really bad. She was so screwed.

"I –"

Brooke lifted a hand up. "Stop talking." She commanded still pacing around.

"Sweetheart you're gonna wear a giant hole into those gorgeous floorboards of yours if you keep that up." Julian joked attempting to break his wife out of her nervous trance. He knew that her nerves had been on edge these past few days wanting to get everything just right for Thanksgiving. This whole situation had just thrown a huge wrench in Brooke's plans.

"Not funny." She said sadly. "You know how much I love these floors." She sighed her shoulders slumping as she halted her movements. She pouted.

"It's gonna be alright." Julian placed an arm around Brooke's waist giving her a tight squeeze. "You can fix this. It'll be fine." He said reassuringly.

Brooke groaned resting her head against Julian's chest. "She must hate me." Another pout formed over her lips.

"I can go talk to her Brooke." Lucas offered wanting to go check on Peyton anyway.

Brooke lifted her head off Julian's chest and shook it lightly. "No it should be me. I should have told her, even though it was Nathan's big fat mouth that got me into this mess." She threw an eye-roll in Nathan's direction.

"I…" Nathan began to protest.

"Stop talking Nate." She repeated automatically. "Save your breath. What I really should be doing is kicking your ass for throwing me under the bus like that."

Nathan sighed. It looked like Brooke was back in action. Her pouting and sad demeanor had disappeared without a trace or fair warning. "It was a mistake. Like I've said a hundred times already, I'm sorry. I didn't know we were lying about certain things."

"Yea can someone explain to me why you didn't tell her in the first place?" Lucas asked.

"It wasn't lying!" Brooke defended. "Just a slight case of omission. It was for the best. I didn't want Peyton to freak out, like I knew she would. Which she did. Thanks again for that Nate."

"Sounds like a lie to me." Nathan said sounding unimpressed.

"Zip it you!" Brooke scolded. "You're already skating on thin ice as it is."

"I said I was sorry." Nathan grumbled.

Brooke pointed another finger at him. "If you ruin this dinner for me Nathan, I am going to –"

Julian coughed rather loudly nudging at Brooke harshly. Jamie had just walked into the room and he was pretty sure the next string of words about to come out of his wife's mouth were not of the PG variety.

"What!" She snapped losing her train of thought.

Julian nodded towards Jamie.

She frowned. "Oh." She said releasing a huff. "What's up little man?" She said sweetly focusing her attention on Jamie.

"Dinner's ready and mom and Lydia are getting impatient…well Liddy is anyway." He replied while shaking his head. "I've been sent to come get you all." Jamie announced. "Where's Aunt Peyton?" He questioned after looking around the room and noticing her absence.

"I was just on my way to go find her actually." Brooke put on a brave face even though she was absolutely dreading it. "You guys go head and get seated, while I go talk to Peyton." Brooke gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek before turning to leave. When she reached Nathan she briefly paused. "Watch your back Scott." She whispered low enough for his ears only before rolling her eyes and exiting the room.

Nathan frowned.

Lucas slightly pouted. "Anyone else think he got off too easy?" He reflected the second Brooke was gone, somewhat disappointed that she hadn't berated Nathan enough for his liking. He was still kind of pissed at Nathan for bring up the whole sex topic while mocking Julian in front of Peyton – essentially embarrassing everyone in the process. Brooke hadn't been her usual pissed-off-self if that made any sense. Instead she had skipped back and forth between several emotions Lucas had observed.

"Definitely." Nathan was the first to answer without skipping a beat, nodding his head in agreement. "What was up with that?" He wondered. Last time he had royally pissed of Brooke was a couple of years ago and she had even gone as far as to chuck one of her gigantic purses at his head. It had hurt. By Brooke's standards tonight's performance had been completely tame.

Both Lucas and Nathan looked over at Julian for answers.

"She's been under a lot of stress lately." Julian replied after a slight pause not wanting to give too much away. "She's been off her game a little." He'd have to talk with Brooke soon. They've delayed telling everyone long enough, not to mention that hiding her pregnancy had been stressing Brooke out. Julian wanted to share the good news with his friends.

"No kidding." Nathan released a long whistle. "Not that I'm complaining." He said with a smile.

Lucas wasted no time to burst his brother's bubble. "Yea well I'm sure Haley will have more than a few words on the manner." Lucas chuckled reminding Nathan that he wasn't quite off the hook just yet.

The smile on Nathan's lips fell immediately. "Damn." He muttered thinking he had been in the clear.

"Good talk." Julian smirked patting Nathan on the shoulder.

"Don't you mean good luck?" Nathan corrected him.

"Nope." Julian replied making sure to pop the p at the end.

"Still pissed at me huh?" Nathan concluded.

"Yep."

"Dare I ask?" Nathan said turning to Lucas. He wouldn't be surprised if Lucas was mad at him too. He definitely had crossed the line back there.

"Probably be in your best interest if you didn't." Lucas had his arms crossed over his chest shooting his brother a judgmental look.

"Right…" Nathan nodded slowly not wanting to step over that landmine.

So yea Lucas was pissed. That was expected.

Did he mention that he was sorry? Sometimes his big mouth had a mind of its own.

"Can we go now?" Jamie said in a bored toned not the least bit interested in whatever was going on with the adults. "I'm starving and mama said we can't eat until everyone is seated." He groaned.

* * *

Not long after leaving the boys to their own devices, Brooke found Peyton hanging out on her balcony. She was silently gazing admiring the way the city lit up beautifully at night. Brooke stepped on to the balcony making her way slowly towards the blonde. "Hey." She spoke out meekly.

Peyton looked over her shoulder acknowledging Brooke before returning her gaze to the bustling city situated below. "I love this view." Peyton declared once Brooke had claimed a spot next to her.

"Never gets old." Brooke added admiring the view as well. "Can we talk?" She turned to Peyton silently pleading.

"We sure need to." Peyton replied giving her the okay. They both silently moved towards the chairs a few feet away and sat down. "I'm so pissed at you right now. I'm just trying to understand why Brooke."

"I thought it didn't really matter enough to let you know to be honest." Brooke sighed. "I realize now that was a mistake. I just figured it wasn't really essential to have you freak out over something that doesn't really matter much. You're going through so much right now and it just wasn't worth it. You were gonna remember any way down the road, so why add that unnecessary stress?"

"If it's not a big deal then why keep it from me?"

"Because I knew you'd freak out." Brooke answered. "Which you totally did." She pointed out.

Peyton sighed frustrated that Brooke wasn't getting it. "I was mostly freaking out because my best friend failed to tell me that I dated her husband. And it just makes me wonder what else you might be keeping from me and I can't help but think if maybe you hate me for being with him too."

Brooke let out a laugh. "Peyton I can't exactly hold a grudge over the fact that you and Julian were briefly together. In fact had you never dated Julian, me and him would have never ended up together." The brunette informed her friend.

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked cautiously.

"Well you were the one who introduced us after all. You thought we might hit it off and we did. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be building a life together with the love of my life. So trust me I don't care that you and Julian were together. It was a long time ago and at the time Julian was just the kind of guy you needed."

Peyton frowned in confusion. "Okay now you've lost me…so you're happy that we dated? Yeah this isn't weird at all." She mocked.

Brooke shook her head with a smile. "Okay remember when I told you that after you and Jake broke up it took you awhile to start dating again?"

Peyton nodded remembering the conversation they had a few days ago.

"You met Julian through your job and he had asked you out a couple of times beforehand, but you turned him down every single time. You were still feeling kind of down after finding out that Jake had eventually moved on with Nicki. And knowing how Julian is I'm guessing eventually he wore you down and you said yes – he can be very persistent. It's one of the things I love and hate about him." Brooke chuckled. "So anyway you went on a few dates, but you both decided that you were better off as friends. According to you the chemistry wasn't there, but you did like spending time with him. So you guys just left things off as friends bonding over music and stuff. Even though things with Julian didn't work out – thankfully, cause I mean he's mine now obviously – it kind of gave you that last push you needed to move on from Jake. You felt more confident about dating and weren't scared about getting hurt again. You went on more dates, like I mentioned before nothing serious, but you didn't miss being with Jake anymore. You were happy again. You were more focused on the things that made you happy, the things you wanted and more importantly the things you didn't want."

"Like working at the label in LA." Peyton concluded starting to see Brooke's point.

Brooke nodded. "Precisely."

"And you think Julian had a big part to do with all of that?" Peyton questioned skeptically.

Brooke grinned. "Of course not, that was all you girl, obviously. I just meant that after taking that first plunge with dating again, you slowly found your way back, and Julian was a good friend to you. I didn't get to see you much that year since Clothes Over Bros began to really take off and so I was traveling a lot for work. You confided in Julian a lot and still kept in touch even after you moved back home. And then when Julian was looking for new film project you sent him Lucas' book to consider."

"I did?" Peyton looked shocked.

"Of course you did silly." Brooke grinned. "Julian loved it and you invited him to come to Tree Hill to meet Lucas, then eventually you introduced us and the rest as they say is history."

"So there's really a movie out there about one of Lucas' books?"

"Well…sort of." Brooke shrugged. "The movie did get made, but it was never released. There were a lot of…production issues. Julian was heartbroken, but that's the nature of the business sometimes. Though Julian and Lucas have discussed about taking another stab at making another movie this time with Lucas' second book, something about it being much more marketable than the first, but who knows, they've been going back and forth for the past couple of years about it. It might never happen, but I hope it does and they better get someone really hot to play me." Brooke teased.

Peyton laughed. "Wait, you're in the book?" She said in surprise. She knew Lucas had published two books, but she had no idea what either were about. She suddenly felt bad that she hadn't taken more of an interest in Lucas' work, especially when he was clearly so invested in her.

"Well yeah… I mean we all kind of are." Brooke shrugged. "But of course you don't remember that do you, duh." Brooke said feeling foolish. "Sorry, sometimes it hard to keep straight what you do or don't remember at times. Of course you wouldn't know what The Comet is about."

"The Comet?" Peyton questioned.

"That's the title of Lucas' second book." Brooke explained.

"What's it about?"

Brooke smiled. "You. It's about you Peyton."

Her jaw dropped slightly. "Me?" Peyton squeaked out suddenly feeling completely overwhelmed. There was a book out there about her? What exactly did it say? Was it any good? The questions running through her mind were endless.

Brooke laughed at her reaction. "You know now that I think about it this is perfect."

Peyton frowned not understanding. "What is?"

"You should totally read Lucas' books." Brooke replied like she was stating the obvious. "I know you've been a bit hesitant about getting closer to Lucas, but if you read Ravens and The Comet it will definitely help you understand Lucas much better. It'll be like getting inside his head and I'm convinced it will make things much easier for you to get closer to him in real life. You two have a lot more in common that you'd like to think."

"No offense Brooke, but Lucas doesn't seem like an overly complicated person to begin with, while I'm just dripping from head to toe with issues."

Brooke smirked. "Prove me wrong then goldilocks. Read the books." She challenged Peyton. "And then I dare you to tell me you don't feel any differently about Lucas after reading them. There's just no way. Not possible." She spoke with assurance.

"Fine." Peyton declared unable to resist a challenge.

Brooke chuckled. "You so have no chance." Brooke had zero doubts. There was a lot of history in those books regarding Lucas' life, as well as his life with Peyton. Her best friend had no idea what she was getting herself into. She was gonna fall in love with Lucas all over again without even realizing it. It was official – Brooke was a genius – though she decided to downplay her eagerness otherwise Peyton was bound to get suspicious.

Peyton huffed. "We'll see, but anyway this conversation wasn't supposed to be about me and Lucas. It's about you and me." She reminded her. "You can't keep things from me again like that Brooke. I feel alienated enough from everyone and everything without having my best friend keeping secrets from me. Even if she thinks it's to protect me."

Brooke nodded agreeing. "I should have told you and I'm sorry, but this whole thing with Julian is only a big deal if you make it so P. Sawyer. No one really cares. You and Julian only went on a few dates and hell you never even slept together anyway." Brooke teased. "Your loss is my gain though." She added with a twinkle in her eye.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Yeah that part was made abundantly loud and clear." She groaned as she remembered how humiliating that whole scene back there had been. Then again she was kind of relieved, it definitely did make things less awkward – there was nothing she could do about Nathan, but at least she had never crossed those boundaries with her best friend's husband.

Brooke cracked up laughing. "Are we cool?"

Peyton nodded. "Yes, unless there are any other big secrets you're keeping from me?"

Brooke paused deciding it was time. "Well…now that you mention it. There is one more thing I haven't told you."

Peyton eyed her friend suspiciously. The giant grin plastered on Brooke's face was throwing her off. "I'm listening."

Brooke reached over taking Peyton's hand into hers and began.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later the entire gang had finally gathered around the table for Thanksgiving dinner. And of course somehow Peyton had ended up being seated right across from Julian – because sure, why not?

Just her luck.

They had managed to avoid eye contact for most of the meal until he had asked for the sweet potatoes and since Peyton was the closest she had no choice but to pass them to him. As she handed him the plate, they stared at each other both offering up nervous smiles. He looked just as mortified as she did, so that was a plus. Their eye contact was brief before they both awkwardly looked away feigning interest at their respective meals.

Jamie was seated at Peyton's left, while Lydia, who had essentially separated Lucas from his wife demanding that she wanted to sit by her favorite aunt, was seated at Peyton's right. The conversation at the table had been kept light, though there was still a bit of lingering tension between Nathan, Lucas and Julian that hadn't gone unnoticed by the women at the table. Lydia however, who was quite the chatterbox much like her mother, managed to keep the entire table entertained with her adorable voice and quirky mannerisms. The three year old packed quite the personality.

Brooke had never been more grateful for that little girl and her ability to steal the spotlight this evening. It had managed to take some of the pressure off. This dinner was not going as well as she had hoped. Not to say that it had been a complete disaster, because it most certainly hadn't – however it hadn't exactly unfolded like Brooke had envisioned in her head.

The brunette had hoped that bringing everyone together would have magically clicked everything into place for her best friend. She hoped that Peyton would have sensed something familiar about these people, her family now. Everyone could just slide back into old habits and Peyton would regain every piece of memory that she'd lost. Sure it was silly to think that Peyton could just remember like that, but it hadn't stopped Brooke from hoping. She had hoped everyone would had been close and happy, not this awkward mess. Aside from the Peyton dilemma, another part of Brooke was disappointed too. Usually Nathan and Haley hosted Thanksgiving every year, but this was the very first Thanksgiving she was hosting and she had wanted everything to be perfect. On the brightside though they hadn't managed to burn down the apartment or anything. The food turned out pretty good, so Brooke could pat herself on the back for that at least.

"You okay?" Julian whispered over to his wife and held her hand under the table.

Brooke quickly nodded. "I'm good hun." She replied putting on a brave face. Julian frowned knowing she lied.

Once the main meal had been cleared off the table, Haley had brought out dessert. Slices of pumpkin pie were dispersed among the adults, while the kids stuffed their faces with their preferred dessert of choice – chocolate ice cream.

"Can I haves more ice cream?" Lydia questioned. Her mouth and the area surrounding it was covered in chocolate. Her tiny pink tongue poked out from her lips attempting to catch the wasted ice cream.

"Babe you still have plenty of ice cream left in your bowl." Haley pointed out.

Lydia looked down at her bowl that was still half filled with chocolate ice cream. "Yea but I'm gonna eat that soon." She informed her mother looking completely determined as she sunk her spoon into her dessert and took another bite.

"I don't think there's enough room in your tummy for anymore ice cream young lady."

Lydia looked over at her mother like that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "There's always room for ice cream mama." She replied in a serious tone before returning to her dessert. There was a round of chuckles released at the table.

"If she gets more ice cream, so do I." Jamie piped in. He had already finished his bowl of ice cream.

"No one is getting any more ice cream. It's almost bed time anyway." Haley reminded them.

Jamie and Lydia released a mutual groan clearly displeased that bedtime was drawing near.

"Oh c'mon Hales, let them live a little." Lucas chimed in. "It won't be the end of the world if the kids have a little more dessert and stay up past bedtime, besides it's a holiday after all."

Both Nathan and Haley shared a look. It was apparent that Lucas had no idea what he was talking about. If they skipped bedtime the kids would take it as an excuse to fight off sleep for as long as possible and not to mention the sugar high from extra dessert would have them bouncing off the walls.

"Yeah mom it's Thanks giving!" Jamie added eagerly.

"Yeah mom!" Lydia chimed in copying her older brother.

"Okay let's stop ganging up on mom." Nathan spoke up putting a protective arm over his wife's shoulders.

"Glad to see someone's on my side here." Haley teased playfully sticking out her tongue at her best friend.

Lucas childishly returned the gesture.

"Yea tutor wife don't be such a tighta—" Haley glared over at Brooke her eyes daring her to finish that sentence. The look put Brooke's words to an abrupt stop. The brunette realized the kids were still present. She sure needed to get her mouth in check before her own babies came along in a few months. Julian had been suggesting a swear jar much to her dismay. "I mean…let the kids chill out for a bit longer. I mean how could you say no to those adorable faces? Am I right Peyton?"

"Oh I'm staying out of this." Peyton placed her hands up releasing a laugh. She didn't know the first thing about caring for kids. "Though I must admit they are pretty adorable looking right now." She commented while looking down at the pouty looks both kids were sending their parents. Evidently they were experts at this game. Peyton concluded that there was no way Haley and Nathan wouldn't cave. Unless their hearts were made of stone.

"They're giving us the look." Haley coolly commented to her husband.

"Yup." Nathan smirked looking just as unaffected as Haley did.

"Pl-wease mama?" Lydia's bottom lip trembled a bit as she tried to keep up her pout.

"She's good." Nathan couldn't help but release a chuckle at how determined his daughter looked. Much like her mother, Lydia wasn't one to give up so easily when she wanted something.

"Too good." Haley mused.

"So can we?" Jamie quickly spoke.

Haley released a heavy sigh. "Okay, okay." She said giving in as both kids, Brooke and Lucas erupted into victorious cheers.

Nathan and Haley shook their heads. "Ok look at that hunny apparently we have four kids instead of two." Haley added as she observed Lucas giving his niece a high five, while Brooke sent Jamie a thumbs up from her seat. "I'll tell you what, not only can you two have more dessert, but Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas get to tuck you in tonight as well. How does that sound?"

Both Jamie and Lydia's eyes lit up in excitement and nodded. "Cool!" They both cheered out.

Nathan instantly smirked immediately catching on to his wife's scheme. Haley James Scott was clearly no fool and had just hand delivered them the rest of the night off.

"Fine by me." Lucas said.

"Me too! It'll be fun!" Brooke agreed.

It was a done deal. The sugar-induced, hyper mess of activity that was guaranteed to come was now officially Brooke and Lucas' problem this evening. Good luck to them.

Haley and Nathan shared another knowing look. "Amateurs." They both muttered and discreetly gave each other a high five underneath the dinner table.

"This will be perfect, since I actually need the practice and all." Brooke began as she felt Julian still next to her.

"You sure?" He eyed her skeptically.

Brooke nodded taking his hand into hers. Nathan and Lucas were the only ones left to tell out of their little group of friends. "I'm pregnant! I mean…we're pregnant!" She spoke laughing excitedly. "And it's twins!" All of the adults jumped out of their seats running over to hug and congratulate the parents-to-be.

"Congrats again!" Haley whispered into Brooke's ear before stepping back and letting Nathan get his congratulatory hug in.

"Thank Hales." Brooke replied, her and Julian both grinning from ear to ear.

"Champagne to celebrate?" Haley clapped her hands excitedly as she posed the question to the group. "Well and you know water for mom here of course." She teased playfully bumping hips with Brooke.

Brooke pouted. "Man I miss drinking." She confessed looking all bummed out.

Everyone laughed.

* * *

Sometime later after the table had been cleared and the dish washer was up and running, the group had descended into the living room. After getting into a deep discussion over their musical tastes, Haley and Peyton had raided through Julian's music collection and became the unofficial DJs of the evening playing tunes to their hearts content. They were both singing loudly and dancing around to Elvis Costello's _Pump it Up_. At one point Haley had even managed to rope Lucas in, grabbing him off the couch to join them. Peyton laughed as she watched Haley forced her best friend to twirl her around the living room. Lucas twirled Haley one last time before dipping her body to the ground, he then lifted her up again for another spin. Haley giggled her head spinning a bit. She loved dancing and it had been awhile – Nathan wasn't exactly the most graceful dancer, even Jamie was lighter on his feet than his poor father. Unlike his brother, Lucas was actually a pretty good dancer when he put in the effort.

Lucas gave Haley one last twirl before setting his sights on Peyton who was moving to the beat, smiling with her eyes closed, completely into the music. He grabbed her hand pulling her towards him, completely startling Peyton, her eyes widening in horror as he continued to pull her close and dipped her low without warning. He held her there for a second as their eyes made contact. Lucas smiled and swung her back up just as quickly as he had dipped her. After getting over her initial shock, Peyton returned the smile, his arms still holding her in place, her body pressed up against his. She laughed when Lucas nodded his head to the beat and began to loudly – and kind of awfully – sing the song's hook, though eventually she caved, because she loved this song too much, and sang along with him as well. A few beats later Lucas loosened his grip, twirled Peyton around once and let go before pulling Haley in so the three of them could continue to dance together.

As expected the kids' energy was still on high showing no signs of easing up anytime soon. Deep into a game of tag Jamie chased after his sister, who left a trail of giggles behind her as she ran away from her brother and teased out loud for him to catch her. Meanwhile Julian and Nathan had claimed a corner of the room, and with beers in hand had fallen into a discussion over fatherhood.

Brooke leaned against the door frame taking in the scene before her. The night had started off a bit rocky, but by some miracle everything had ended up falling into place. She smiled happy that her family – because that's what they were – were enjoying themselves. The awkwardness had disappeared, the tension had lifted, and it had been replaced by genuine smiles and laughter.

This was exactly what she had wanted.

"You doing okay babe?" Julian had appeared at her side without warning taking her by surprise.

She looked up at him grinning. "I'm more than good." She replied moving closer and wrapping her arms around his waist. Brooke looked back towards her friends and watched as Lucas leaned over towards Peyton whispering something in her ear that instantly made her laugh. She also didn't fail to notice how his hand pressed against her back as he leaned in and spoke, and then continued to linger there for awhile. Peyton seemed completely relaxed and at ease from the touch. "Everything's perfect. This is just what I wanted." Brooke added, her gaze returning to her husband. She stood up on the tip of her toes, leaning over and giving Julian a chaste kiss.

Julian smiled pulling her close, tucking the top of her head under his chin. "Good." He murmured into her hair.

They silently held each other for another minute before Brooke pulled back. "C'mon husband come give me a good spin while you still can, lord knows I'm not getting any lighter." She teased grinning before pulling him with one hand and leading them towards the make shift dance floor that their friends had created.

* * *

Well that's a wrap on Thanksgiving with the gang, but don't worry we'll still have some more moments with Naley and the kids before they head back to Tree Hill. I thought a happy ending was in order. At this point in the story I still see Brooke as kind of the glue holding it all together since she's essentially the strongest link between Peyton and everyone else right now – so I felt like my girl needed a win. You go B. Davis!

Coming up next Peyton and Lucas have a serious chat bringing them a little closer.

Loved it? Hated it? Want more? Let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


	13. Talk To Me

So the next chapter is finally here! Apologies though this one took a little longer than planned. Despite have a pretty solid outline of this chapter, I ended up having some serious writer's block. The dialogue in particular just wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to and rather than force it I had to walk away and come back to this chapter several times. I'm totally still not happy with how it turned out, but I think I've ripped it apart as much as I could, so it's time to move forward! Additionally, I was short on time this evening so I didn't have time to give this chapter a final check, so please excuse any errors and such. I'll come back later to clean it up.

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to some new followers that have popped up since the last chapter! Excited to have more of you reading this story!

Also we're at 101 reviews already, so that's pretty amazing and so thank you, thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart! You have no idea how ridiculously excited this girl gets when a new review pops up in her emails. I always read each and every single one. You guys are the best and I can't thank you enough. And even if you're a reader that has never left a review, you guys are still amazing and the absolute best for even giving this story the time of day. Thanks guys, really.

This chapter is pretty much all Leyton. So prepare yourself guys, we're making some progress here.

Titled track for this chapter: 'Talk To Me' by Stevie Nicks

* * *

Chapter 13: Talk To Me

"They. Won't. Go. To. Sleep." Brooke spoke slowly groaning out the words. At this point in the evening her eyes were glazed over, dead tired from exhaustion. She'd been up since the crack of dawn getting Thanksgiving dinner ready and all she sought right now was the extra plush comfort of her memory foam mattress. Lucas and she had been unsuccessfully trying to put the kids down for the past hour and forty-five minutes.

What the hell had they been thinking?

The kids were impossible. They just wouldn't stay still using every excuse under the sun to delay bedtime. It had taken forever just rounding them up and get them ready for bedtime. Brooke had been in charge of Liddy's bath time, ending up completely soaked from head to toe because a certain little girl refused to stop her splashing frenzy. It fact Lydia had found the entire ordeal completely hilarious, breaking into a fit of giggles each time Brooke was hit by another wave of water. After bath time Lydia and Jamie used more of their stalling tactics each brushing their teeth at a ridiculously slow pace. And even when both kids were all decked out in their pajamas and safety tucked in bed it still wasn't enough to deter them. Lydia kept asking for another story to be read to her, while Jamie asked his uncle whatever questions he could come up with off the top of his head. Then Lydia decided that it was time for a dance party and that's exactly what she was doing at this moment, dancing on the bed – despite that there was no music being played.

Even though the kids weren't, Brooke was so ready for her own bedtime and Lucas looked like he was about to tear his hair out. And so they had returned to the living room with their tails tucked between their legs hoping to get some assistance from the pros.

"Haley." Brooke whined loudly reattempting to get her friend's attention. Haley hadn't budged at all, completely engrossed with her iPad as she comfortably lounged on the couch, her bare feet resting across Nathan's lap. Nathan sat gently rubbing her ankles absentmindedly as he watched TV.

"Haley!" Both Brooke and Lucas called out in a desperate plea for help.

"Mmmm…" A distracted Haley muttered out barely acknowledging their presence. Her eyes were still glued to her iPad. She swiped a finger across the screen turning to the next page of the ebook she was reading.

"Did you hear anything of what I just said?!" Brooke huffed exasperatedly.

Nathan hadn't even flinched.

"What's the problem?" Haley questioned finally tearing her eyes away from her electronic device long enough to take a glance at Brooke and Lucas.

They looked terrible.

Haley was forced to bite down her laugh at the sad looking duo before her. Of course she knew what the crisis was, but luckily that was their problem this evening – not hers. A deal was a deal after all. "Everything a-okay with the kids?" She questioned innocently. It really was getting harder and harder not to laugh. Haley could feel a slight vibration coming off Nathan as he tried his hardest not to laugh and keep a straight face.

"Those little terrors?!" Brooke blurted out slightly outraged. So yea, she clearly wasn't winning in the motherly department right this second, but she was tired and sleep deprived, not to mention she was carrying two other human beings that had been so lovingly kicking their mother in the ribs for the past hour.

Lucas nudged her in warning. Not that he didn't completely agree with Brooke's sentiments. His niece and nephew were out of control, but he supposed that was sort of his fault for suggesting extra dessert and a later bedtime in the first place. He'd never make that dumbass mistake again. That he was more than certain of.

Haley ignored the pathetic looks plastered upon the faces of her two friends. She almost felt bad for them.

Almost.

She got over it rather quickly however. "Bet you wish you hadn't given them those M&M's to go along with their extra ice cream huh?" Haley smirked before returning to her iPad.

"Aren't you going to help us out?" Brooke asked growing distressed at Haley's aloofness. She tapped her foot impatiently waiting a reply. "Haley." She whined when it became clear after about a minute that Haley was apparently done talking and back to reading.

"I wouldn't leave those two alone for much longer." Haley commented after a beat.

"Shit." Lucas muttered realizing she was absolutely right. He wordlessly turned around and sprinted back to where they had abandoned the kids, praying they hadn't created too much chaos in the few minutes of their absence.

"Nate? A little help here?" With Haley being uncooperative – which was so un-Haley like by the way – Brooke turned to the man sitting on the other side of the couch. Surely he wouldn't abandon her in her time of need?

Nathan however shut that down immediately. "Sorry, too busy not listening or caring." He quickly replied while he watched some basketball highlights on ESPN.

Brooke's jaw slightly dropped in surprise. The nerve of these two. They clearly knew this would happen and had done zip to stop them. After another pause Brooke released a tired sigh and begrudgingly dragged her feet across the floor to rejoin Lucas.

"We're terrible." Haley chuckled looking over at Nathan once Brooke had exited the living room, earning her a smile from Nathan. He didn't look too concern.

"They'll live." Nathan replied sending her an amused look. "Besides…" He grabbed Haley's hips and lifted her forward until she was placed on his lap. "When's the last time we both had the night off?"

Haley frowned in thought. It had been awhile, especially since it was basketball season and Nathan would travel a lot during this time as a result. "Way too long." She eventually replied settling her head over Nathan's left shoulder. She automatically nuzzled the tip of nose along his neck taking in his delicious scent. She loved the way he smelled, it brought her comfort.

"Exactly." Nathan released her hips from his grasp to wrap his left arm around Haley. He used his right hand to gently tilt up her chin so she could look at him. "Wanna make out on the couch for a couple of hours like we used to back in high school?" He teased sending Haley a friendly smirk.

Haley laughed. That had been a lifetime ago, back when they were still teens and there were no kids in the picture. The thought made her smile. "I thought you'd never ask." She whispered breaking into a grin before closing the small gap between them and devouring Nathan's lips.

Despite ten years of marriage, two kids later and hectic careers, Nathan's kisses still managed to make her tingle all the way down to her toes.

It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed even if everything else had.

* * *

"Peyton."

Peyton's eyes snapped open immediately. Her green eyes traveled up noticing Lucas hovering above her. She had nodded off on one of the living room chairs. She released a tired yawn, rubbing her eyes awake. The apartment was pretty quiet, with the exception of the faint noise of the TV in the background, letting her know it must have been late. She wondered how long she'd been asleep for.

She sat up taking a better look at Lucas now that her vision was more focused. Her first instinct was to laugh. He looked completely disheveled. The crispy grey button down he had worn this evening was badly wrinkled and no longer neatly tucked into his black dress pants. He had unbuttoned the top two buttons loosening his collar and his blond locks where sticking out in every direction imaginable. He had clearly ran his hand through his hair several times in the last two hours, either that or the kids – probably Lydia – had played with his hair tugging it all over the place. He looked super exhausted. "I take it the kids put up quite the fight?" She teased amusingly.

Lucas released a breath. "We won in the end." He said coolly.

Peyton sent him an unconvinced look.

"Just barely." He grumbled in admission. "Remind us to never have kids." He declared.

Peyton raised an eyebrow, her lips falling into a slight smile.

Lucas' eyes widened in panic. He didn't know what possessed him to say that out loud. He'd blame it on exhausted. "I mean…" He drew a blank unable to come up with anything. He could feel his cheeks heating up.

 _Great_. He thought. Now he just made it awkward.

"Nice save." Peyton chuckled. "It's cool." She shrugged. "No big deal."

"Sorry." Lucas mumbled. His cheeks still burning.

"We're cool." She assured him.

Lucas nodded feeling relieved. "Cool. You ready to get out of here?"

Peyton nodded and stood up.

Making their way out the door they said their goodbyes to Nathan and Haley, who were huddled up on the couch watching a movie. Brooke and Julian had already retired for the night some time ago. They grabbed their coats and exited the apartment closing the door behind them, and rode the elevator downstairs. A few minutes later they were seated in the back of a cab heading home.

"I still can't believe Brooke's pregnant." Lucas spoke breaking the silence a couple of minutes into their ride.

"Me either." She hurriedly agreed. "In my head I still think we're nineteen so it's kind of jarring, especially since Brooke's never seemed to show any interest in kids." She joked. "Also I'm still processing the fact that she's married, so the whole baby thing is kind of blowing my mind right now."

Lucas laughed. "Yea I went to high school with you guys remember? I totally get what you're saying." He replied remembering what a crazy teenager Brooke had been. She had basically been crowned the party queen in school. "She's different though now. She's gonna be a great mother." He added after a beat.

Peyton nodded. "Yea she seems different. She's still Brooke in many ways, but we're definitely not kids anymore." The blonde mused.

Lucas nodded silently.

"Well I'm just really happy for Brooke…and Julian of course. It's been pretty rough for them these past few years you know? They've wanted kids for awhile now."

Peyton frowned slightly, the comment unclear to her. "What do you mean? Like Brooke's been trying awhile to get pregnant?"

Lucas softly shook his head. "Like she can't get pregnant period or the chances were pretty much non-existent. She found out she had fertility issues a few years back, before she even met Julian. They did a bunch of fertility treatments down the line but it wasn't successful. A few months ago they decided they wanted to adopt so they've been working on that process." He explained. "I mean really it's a miracle that she's pregnant. It was definitely much of a surprise to them as it was for us to find out."

Peyton's face dropped in shock. She felt a rush of emotions flooding her system. She felt happy that her best friend was pregnant, angry that she couldn't remember what Brooke had gone through, but mostly sad that her best friend had to go through that ordeal in the first place. "Wow." She managed to breathe out. "I didn't know that. She didn't mention it." She said slowly shaking her head. Brooke being pregnant was a big deal – a huge deal.

"I think it's still hard for her to talk about it, and now that she is pregnant I'm sure she doesn't wanna jinx it or anything." Lucas squeezed Peyton's shoulder noticing how upset she appeared over the news. "You okay?"

"I guess."

"But?"

"But I dunno…I wish I had known that, I could have made a bigger deal over her being pregnant or something…I don't know." Peyton replied softly feeling a bit deflated. "I just hate that she had to go through all of that and I hate even more that I'm out of the loop on everything."

"Don't beat yourself over that. Brooke knows you're happy for her. You looked just as excited as everyone else did tonight over the news." He gave her shoulder another squeeze. "And more importantly when Brooke was going through all of that you were there for her Peyton. You supported her. So trust me when I say that she knows. Even though you can't remember it right now that doesn't erase the fact that you've been there for her through it all. She knows. Trust me."

Peyton nodded the tiniest of smiles appearing across her lips.

"Did you have a good time tonight? I know the kids can be a little overwhelming and Haley is basically the most inquisitive person you'll ever meet in your life, but –"

She cut his rambling short. "Actually I had a great time." Peyton confessed surprising even herself. Sure the night hadn't gotten off to a great start, but somewhere in between dinner and dancing she found herself enjoying the company of those around her.

Lucas looked dumbfounded. He hadn't been expecting those words to come out of her mouth. "Really?"

Peyton shrugged and nodded like it was no big deal. "I mean it was weird at first and then the whole finding out you sort of dated your best friend's husband wasn't ideal, but…I dunno…Brooke's having a baby, and Lydia's adorable, and talking about music with Haley was cool, and everything just kind of felt…I dunno…good?" She released a sad chuckle. "I like that all of you guys are so close, like family should be."

"You're part of this family too Peyton."

Peyton looked up at Lucas with glassy eyes. "I've never been part of such a big family before. It was always just me and my dad. It's nice. I'm glad I came." She spoke softly.

Lucas nodded in understanding. Peyton hadn't spoken about her father at all. He knew she was still mourning him privately, still trying to make her head and heart understand the confusion of it all. Today in particular Lucas knew Peyton had certainly been thinking about her father all day. Thanksgiving had been Larry's favorite holiday, and him and his daughter had shared a very special bond over it. When Peyton had initially agreed on attending Thanksgiving at Brooke's, it had left Lucas a bit taken aback. He had thought for sure that she would have refused seeing how Thanksgiving had always been her and her father's _thing_. Lucas had assumed she wouldn't want to do anything at all and just stay home, much like she had decided the first Thanksgiving that had rolled around after Larry's passing. That year she and him had sat on the couch in their house in Tree Hill and watched an endless marathon of movies and ordered take out. Peyton hadn't spoken much that evening instead focusing on the movies they watched. She used the movies as a distraction because she couldn't think about the fact that her father wasn't here anymore. Her heart was still very heavy with the loss.

The more Lucas reflected on it the more he wondered if attending Thanksgiving dinner tonight with everyone was yet another distraction method Peyton had come up with. Having to deal with the gang so she wouldn't have room to think about her father today. Lucas wanted to ask but he knew best not to. Peyton would bring Larry up when she was ready to and right now she just wasn't.

* * *

After exchanging goodnights and parting ways with Lucas for the night, Peyton retreated to her room changing into a red long sleeve t-shirt and navy sweatpants. She sat on the bed, her feet still planted firmly on the floor, heavy in thought. It was amazing really how many things were racing through her mind at this moment.

 _Her father was at the top of her thoughts. He had been all day. And while she had genuinely enjoyed herself this evening, it still wasn't the same. It just wasn't Thanksgiving without him. God how she missed him. She missed him so much._

 _Then there was Brooke of course. Her best friend was pregnant. With twins._

 _The bomb of the night had been Julian, someone she had casually dated. The way she had found out hadn't been fun, but in the grand scheme of things it turned out to matter very little._

 _Nathan was still kind of an ass, but he had kind of grown on her by the end of the night. She hated to admit it, but reminiscing over their high school days hadn't been as terrible as she initially presumed._

 _Haley was kind and sweet, and the complete and total opposite of the kind of woman Peyton would have ever imagined Nathan settling down with. It was a shame they had never been friends back in high school._

 _The kids were an adorable and hilarious duo. Lydia in particular – though quite a handful – had managed to worm her way into Peyton's heart pretty early on in the evening. It was a surprise for Peyton since she had never been that big of a fan of kids. Being an only child had left her with zero experience in dealing with younger siblings, and she never really had much contact with any children really._

 _And then there was Lucas._

 _Lucas, who had helped her fix her hair this afternoon without complaint all for the sole purpose of making her happy and comfortable._

 _Lucas, who had squeezed her hand earlier in the evening when she was close to breaking, promising her all the things that she desperately needed to hear. Because in the end Peyton had realized that she couldn't do this on her own anymore. She did need Lucas. And more importantly the thought of needing Lucas no longer terrified her._

 _Lucas, who had spontaneously grabbed and dipped her in the middle of Brooke's living room in front of everyone, grinning from ear to ear as he held her down. And when he twirled her around and finally let go of her, Peyton had felt a brief twinge of disappointment from the loss of contact. She had no idea where it had come from, the very feeling startling her completely. It was brief and had disappeared just as quickly as it had emerged, but it had come out nonetheless. Little by the little over the past few days and unbeknownst to her, Lucas had somehow slowly become something more than her estranged husband. She wasn't quite sure what that 'something more' was exactly, but she knew that she liked Lucas enough to want to find out. If Lucas really was her 'game changer' as Nathan had claimed, then she owed it to herself to find out exactly what that meant._

 _More importantly she owed it to Lucas. His honesty and support had been incredible – which she didn't deserve most of the time considering how many times she'd shut him out and would probably still continue to do so from time to time, because Peyton just knew herself well enough that it was pretty much a guarantee._

 _Still, she knew it was time to reciprocate. It was time for her to start being more honest with Lucas about certain things. This would never work if she didn't._

* * *

"Hey." Lucas softly greeted Peyton as she awkwardly leaned against the entrance of the living room walls. He had been sitting up tucked underneath the covers of their pullout sofa bed, reading a chapter or two of a new book he was reading before going to sleep. Upon hearing Peyton's approaching footsteps Lucas had looked up from his book to greet her. "Did you need something?" He questioned cautiously. She looked troubled.

Peyton immediately shook her head. "I'm fine. I just kind of need to talk to you about something. Is that okay? I didn't mean to interrupt your reading." She played with the strings of her sweatpants waiting for his response.

"Of course you can talk to me. Get over here." Lucas motioned for her to come closer. He dropped his bookmark in the page he left off, closing the book shut before placing it aside. Peyton slowly made her way closer sitting at the edge of the sofa bed nearest to him. To face him better she had tucked one leg underneath her, while the other still hung off the edge of the mattress. "So what's up?" He asked giving Peyton his full attention. He figured it must be a serious matter considering how late in the night it was. He thought she had been sleeping by now.

Peyton took in a deep breath and sighed trying to calm her nerves. She wanted to be honest with Lucas, but she was afraid of what he would say and if he would think differently of her now because of it. She had tried to brush it aside, but the truth was that the guilt had been weighing heavily on Peyton ever since her conversation with Brooke a few days ago.

"I wanted to talk to you about my college reunion."

Lucas nodded. "What about it?"

Peyton sighed again. "It's just that Jake might be there and I plan on talking to him if I see him." She could feel the muscles in her abdomen contract suddenly as she held in a nervous breath, waiting for a reaction. "I just wanted you to know that." She carefully added hoping that he'd see it as a sign that she was trying to be honest with him. That she cared. That she was making an effort.

Lucas' face slipped into a slight frown. "You want to see him." Lucas stated in a sad tone. "You're still thinking about him." He concluded.

"Yes I would like to see him because I need to speak with him." She replied sincerely. "And yes, I do think of him. I don't want to lie to you Lucas. It's just the way things are right now for me. I can't help it if my mind keeps going back to what I only remember."

"So this whole trip is just about wanting to see Jake then." He said coldly. He couldn't deny that Peyton's sudden desire to confess hadn't stung. He was an idiot for not putting the pieces together on his own earlier. Peyton had been extremely eager about attending this reunion – of course the reason behind it had to be her ex-boyfriend. It hurt more than he was willing to admit.

"No." Peyton said firmly. "Yes I want to see Jake, but I'm going for me not for some guy Lucas."

Lucas raised an eyebrow in doubt.

"I don't just want to go Lucas, I _need_ to go." She took another deep breath scooting a little closer to Lucas' side. "New York it great and all, but it's cold and unfamiliar, and it doesn't quite feel like home yet. I know this is where my life is now, but I'm just not there yet and I'm…I'm lonely Lucas. And I feel lost and hopeless about everything most of the time. And you have this amazing way of making me feeling better when I'm feeling down – and that's great and all, it really is – but at the end of the day it's only a temporary fix. That loneliness always creeps back in no matter how hard I try to fight it. Distractions can only work for so long."

Lucas closed his eyes tight releasing a frustrated sigh. "I hate that you feel that way and I hate even more that there's nothing I can do about it."

"You manage to do more than you realize. Trust me." She sent him a sympathetic smile the second his eyes reopened. "Listen. Even though I'm well aware that LA is part of my old life, it still feels much more familiar to me right now than New York does. I'd be lying if I said that I haven't been craving some form of normalcy and familiarness these days. I remember how much I loved LA, and college, and my friends, and it would be nice to have that feeling back even if it's just for a weekend. And I would really love it if you came with me because I would like to share that part of my life with you Lucas, but I would completely understand if you're having second thoughts about going now. I wouldn't hold it against you, but I'm still gonna go because I really need this and I hope you'll still considering coming with me. I want you there."

Lucas remained silent, his expression pensive, as he quietly processed everything she had just told him. "Okay." He eventually spoke.

"Okay?" Peyton repeated surprised at his response. Lucas nodded. "Just like that? Okay?" She blurted out rather harshly. He was behaving better than she had anticipated.

He nodded again. "I'm coming with you." He confirmed to her. "Is there a problem? I thought this is what you wanted…"

Peyton quickly shook her head. "No, of course not! No problem here!" She exclaimed quickly. "I'm happy about that, I just assumed you'd be more angry or worried or…"

"Should I be worried?" Lucas said in a serious tone. "Should I be worried about Jake?" He clarified.

"No. You shouldn't be."

"Have you contacted him already?" He needed to know.

Peyton shook her head. "No I haven't." She replied easing his fears a little.

"But you've thought about it?" Lucas assumed.

Peyton gave him a quick nod. "Yes I have, after I woke up from my coma I thought about it." She confessed. "I was scared Lucas. You should know though that it's been awhile since I've had the urge to reach out to him and you're part of that reason."

"Oh." His toned surprised.

"Lucas whatever you're imagining in your head right now I can almost guarantee that it's ten times worse than the reality of things. I have no idea if Jake is even going to be at this reunion, but if he is there I've gotta talk to him. I have so many questions and if he's willing he'll be able to fill in a lot of blanks for me. A lot of blanks that realistically you just can't possibly answer for me because we weren't part of each others' lives at that point. You have to understand that. I need you to understand that." She was silently begging for him to understand.

Lucas nodded eventually. He didn't like it, but he was willing to accept where Peyton was coming from if this is what she really needed from him. "Just talking then? You're just looking for simple answers to your questions, nothing else?" He knew he probably sounded horribly insecure right now. It couldn't be helped.

"Nothing else." Peyton repeated his words.

"Okay then."

"Okay." Peyton released a breath. She felt better after having this talk with Lucas. "Are we okay?" She asked rather shyly after a beat.

Lucas nodded. "Yea, we're okay." He said softly reaching out to squeeze her hand. "It was a good thing we talked about it. Thank you for being honest. It wouldn't be fair for me to hold that against you."

Peyton smiled relieved. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Peyton nervously tugged at her bottom lip before releasing it to speak again. "Do you miss her a lot?"

Lucas frowned confused. "Miss who?"

Peyton gave him a shy shrug. "Me. Or who I am, or was, or who I'm technically supposed to be right now…" She rambled. "You know what I mean…" She trailed off.

"Peyton." Lucas said her name apprehensively. "We don't have to do this."

She furiously shook her head disagreeing. "It's okay really." She reassured him. "I know you must miss her. I know you do. I know I'm not the only one that feels lonely in this situation here."

Lucas' blue eyes dropped in guilt.

"Even though I certainly don't show it most of the time, I do care about your feelings Luke."

Lucas paused, his lips curving into a smile at the familiar nickname. Peyton hadn't addressed him as anything other than Lucas since she had woken from her coma. It felt nice and familiar. He liked it. Though it was just a simple name, probably meaningless to her right now, it meant a lot for him.

"Please talk to me." She pleaded.

He nodded confirming her suspicions. "Yes. I do miss how things were. I miss how things were between us. I miss my wife." He shrugged not really sure how else to elaborate on his feelings without scaring her away.

"What do you miss?" She pressed further.

Lucas sighed. "I miss being able to tell you stuff…anything really. And I miss confiding in you about things."

"You can tell me stuff." She said quietly.

"No I can't." He corrected. "You know I can't just do that. It's harder. I have to be more cautious because I don't want to overwhelm you. I can't just blurt out anything I want. We don't have that same relationship right now."

Peyton sighed sadly because she knew he was right. Most of their conversations were casual and polite at best. They never really talked about real things like they were doing tonight. If she told him right now that they could do that she would be lying. They just weren't there yet, but hopefully in time they would be. "What else?"

"I think that's enough Peyton. We don't have to get into this further." Lucas argued.

"No, what else do you miss?" She said determined.

Lucas huffed. She really wasn't going to let this go was she? "I miss…I miss being able to touch you." He blurted out embarrassing himself. "I can't just reach out and hold your hand, or hug you, or kiss you, or…." He stopped short realizing that was enough. He looked over at Peyton who was blushing now, no doubt already figuring out all the other ways of touching her that he missed. He groaned. He should have never said anything. "I'm sorry."

"No it's okay."

"No I've made things awkward now."

"Hey I asked. I shouldn't have asked if I wasn't prepared to hear what you had to say." She shrugged.

Lucas nodded though it still felt awkward between them.

"I don't dislike it when you touch me sometimes." Peyton suddenly blurted out unable to take the awkward silence that had developed.

Lucas' eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Her eyes widened as well. She really was an idiot. "I just meant that…." She was so lost for words that she began to laugh. "I liked dancing with you tonight." She confessed after a beat.

"You did?" He questioned looking hopefully.

"I did." She confirmed.

"Me too." He said grinning immediately.

Peyton returned the smile briefly before getting serious again. "I'm sorry I can't be that girl for you right now. I really wish I could Lucas and I'm sorry you have to miss her so much."

"You are that girl Peyton."

Peyton shook her head. It was a lie and they both knew it, but it was sweet of him to try to ease her guilt. "We both know I'm not and that's okay for now I guess. But hey that doesn't mean that maybe someday I wouldn't be willing to try to be that person for you again. I just need some time that's all."

Lucas swallowed hard. "I'm not trying to pressure you here Peyton. I'm just glad that your even here."

"And I never said you were silly." She replied. "And I'm here because I want to be here, zero-pressure on your part I promise." She teased nudging his shoulder playfully making Lucas chuckle. "It's getting late. I should let you get some sleep." She announced.

"Okay." Lucas replied though he really didn't want her to go away just yet.

Peyton was about to turn to slide of the mattress but she found herself unable to leave just yet. Lucas looked up at her curiously wondering what the delay was. Before she even realized it Peyton had scooted even closer to Lucas' side, leaning over and wrapping her arms around him so she could hug him, her actions taking them both by surprise. She didn't know what the hell had gotten into her, but she decided to go with it. This sudden urge to hug him felt right. Suddenly she didn't feel so lonely anymore.

"Peyton you don't have to…" Lucas began still a bit shocked from her actions. He had confessed to her that he missed being able to touch her and being affectionate, but she didn't need to do this for his sake.

"Hush." She said quietly as she got more comfortable. Her head was now resting over his chest. "This isn't for you." She informed him.

It was then that Lucas realized that he wasn't the only one that was seeking some type of physical comfort these days. Peyton needed to feel comforted too and apparently she'd just been too afraid to let him know up until now.

"Okay." Lucas told her. His arms wrapped around her immediately. He could hear her release a sigh of relief that he hadn't rejected her bold move.

"Just for a little bit okay?" She added moments later sounding nervous. "I'll let you get some sleep soon. I promise."

Lucas released a silent chuckle tightening his hold around his wife. He gently leaned back until his back hit the pillow, taking Peyton with him. He could feel her body relax even further. "Take your time." He told her calmly before resting his chin over the top of her head. "I've got you sweetheart." He whispered into her hair. "I've got you." He promised again.

* * *

So finally we have our two characters talking about issues that needed to be addressed in order for them to move forward. It's a start right?

Thoughts? Questions? Hit me up in the reviews.

Until next time.


	14. Family Bonding

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. So much amazing feedback on the last one. I'm so glad you guys were happy with it. I'm trying to make more of an effort to replying to reviews, especially since not everyone signs in with an account, so here it goes.

* * *

Reviews

 **atnelly** \- I get just as happy to see a review from you, so thank you! I'm glad you loved it. We're still a couple of chapters away from LA, but we're getting there!

 **jordana60** \- Yes! I'm right there with you. The last chapter pretty much had all the feels! Also the bedtime bit with Naley was fun to write so I'm glad you enjoyed it. I won't say whether or not Peyton will get her memory back soon or at all, but I can tell you that I'll be revealing some more flashbacks soon in the chapters to come.

 **thibbs65** \- I'm also a fan of our three girls bonding together! Keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter, a Brooke, Haley  & Peyton scene is definitely in the works!

 **itsnjm1** \- As long as people are willing to read this I will definitely keep writing, so don't worry!

 **Tpassions** \- I'm glad you loved the last chapter. Yes Peyton finally opens up some! Just a reminder even though we are 14 chapters into this story - and I know it seems like forever - but timeline wise Peyton has only been out of her coma for about a month now, so although it took her a bit to get there with Lucas, not a lot of time has passed either.

 **Guest** \- Thank you! So happy to hear so many people enjoyed that Leyton packed chapter!

 **Guest** \- I hope the wait was worth it! Overall I am happy with how the chapter turned out, it just took me a while to get there, but looks like it paid off! I also love that Peyton is putting herself out there. She's no stranger to hardship, but I have faith in our girl!

 **Guest** \- My best chapter yet!? Aw you flatter me and you are absolutely wonderful.

 **Guest** \- More tension you say? Oh it's coming, don't you worry. :p

 **Guest** \- So you want more?! Well hopefully you'll find the opening scene to this chapter satisfying!

 **Guest** \- Yes I agree last chapter was pretty major for our favorite couple and it was definitely time. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying my approach to this story. It's great to hear your excited about the reunion because I am super excited to have you guys read it!

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Alright then on with the story!

No track for this chapter.

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Chapter 14: Family Bonding

Peyton released a loud yawn as her eyes slowly fluttered open, allowing them to adjust to the morning light that bathed the room. She coughed a few times feeling a small itch in the back of her throat before going to rub the sleep out of her eyes with her hands. She reopened her eyes taking the time to look at her surroundings. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was in the still in the living room. She must have fallen asleep in Lucas' arms last night without even realizing it – which she had to admit wasn't a terrible place to fall asleep at all.

She wasn't hugging him right now however. She had woken up on the right side of the bed wrapped in a cocoon of sheets and blankets. Peyton figured their bodies must have detached at some point during the night.

Peyton shifted turning slowly to look at Lucas' side of the bed. She felt a rush of disappointment upon discovering an empty space next to her. She frowned not having felt him get up this morning. One of her hands ran across his side of the bed. The sheets were still somewhat warm leading her to believe that Lucas had only just started his day. She ripped the covers off her hastily and made her way towards the kitchen, where she knew he would be, probably starting a pot of coffee like he'd done every morning since she'd been back from the hospital.

Her instincts had been on point as she found him in the middle of pouring water into the coffee maker. He was dressed in a worn down grey t-shirt and black basketball shorts. His blond hair was sticking out, some areas a bit matted from sleep. Since their first morning together he'd been good on not wandering around the apartment in his underwear again. Peyton was still able to at least admire those toned arms of his that she favored so much. Perhaps someday she would let him know just how much she appreciated them, maybe.

"Morning." Peyton greeted as she entered the kitchen.

"Hey." Lucas looked back at her grinning. "Good morning." He returned the greeting. "Didn't think you'd be up already. It's still pretty early." They had gone to bed pretty late last night. Lucas finished setting up the coffee maker and turned it on. "Coffee's on the way."

"Thanks." She slowly made her way towards Lucas, who was still standing idly by the coffee maker.

"Um, so did you sleep okay?" Lucas questioned his lips slightly smirking. He still looked pretty worn out from yesterday, but seemed to be in high spirits nonetheless.

Peyton did a terrible job of trying to repress the grin taking over her face. She didn't want to seem too eager now. "I did." She answered in a somewhat shy tone. "You?"

"I slept great." He replied without skipping a beat and returning her smile.

"Good."

Lucas took a step towards her closing the already small gap between them. Peyton instinctively did the same sliding a bit closer to him. Lucas ran his left hand gently down her right arm stopping when he reached her wrist. He ran his thumb back and forth across her wrist a few times before letting his hand drop back to his side. "Good." He said repeating her words. If she didn't mind his touch every now and then – like she had confessed last night – then Lucas was gonna take as much as he could get, unless she changed her mind of course.

His touch had sent chills all the way down her spine. How could such a simple touch make her head feel so hazy suddenly? If a simple touch of the wrist managed to produce that reaction out of her, then boy was she in trouble. This she was certain of.

His fingers ceased to caress the skin of her wrist, but she noticed he hadn't backed away yet. To an outsider their close range probably didn't look overly intimate, but she knew better. The fact that their bodies were close enough to be touching, but weren't quite pressed up against each other was far more intimate than she could have ever imagined. She could feel some sort of electric pull between her and Lucas, and the air was thick with a tension that oddly enough she could only describe as satisfying. Maybe that's why this felt so intimate then? Because she felt oddly at ease with being in this close of a proximity to Lucas and had no desire to pull away or sound a panic alarm?

"I'm sorry I fell asleep on you." She spoke eventually, wanting to confirm that was indeed what had happened last night.

"I don't mind." Lucas softly answered.

Peyton smiled once more. "Good because you were a very comfortable human pillow." She teased.

Lucas laughed. "Well I guess it is about time you found some use for me. I am more than just good looks you know." He winked.

"Really?" Peyton put her best perplexed look forward. "And here I always thought Nathan was the good looking Scott."

Lucas' face dropped somewhat comically unprepared for her witty remark. Peyton roared in laughter. Her hands flew up to her mouth as she unsuccessfully tried to muffle the sounds.

"That was mean." He pouted real hard. Though it was pretty obvious he wasn't slighted in the least. This type of playful banter between the couple was pretty typical behavior. It was weird sometimes how he and Peyton could just slide back into old habits without even realizing it. Could this be a sign that she'd be regaining memories in the near future? Lucas sure hoped so.

"I'm sure your ego can take it." She choked out as her laughter finally began to subside, snapping Lucas out of his thoughts.

"I dunno…that was a pretty low blow. I may never fully recover." He sighed dramatically. Not long after his left hand – having a mind of its own – drifted back to hers. His thumb lightly rubbing across her wrist once more.

Peyton wasn't laughing anymore suddenly feeling nervous, but the good, exciting kind of nerves that made her body slightly tingle. "Hey I was thinking…" She breathed out, her thoughts still a bit foggy.

The coffee maker beeped loudly signaling that their fresh pot of coffee was done brewing. The sound had halted Peyton mid-sentence and much to her dismay the beeping had also caused Lucas' hand to drop back to his side again. He gave her a timid smile before taking a step back, effectively breaking whatever energy they had going on between them these last couple of minutes.

Peyton released a quiet breath of annoyance and then too took a step back as she watched Lucas wordlessly reaching into one of the kitchen cabinets, pulling out two mugs as he busied himself with preparing their respective coffees. He looked nervous all of a sudden as opposed to the confident and somewhat semi-cocky vibe he had been giving off less than a minute ago. It seemed she wasn't the only one heavily affected by whatever just happened. Peyton took some comfort in that. It seemed Lucas was just as out of his element as she was when it came to this 'thing' between them.

 _One day at a time._ She thought. That was all either of them could do.

"Oh before I forget." Lucas finished topping Peyton's coffee with a little bit of cream, just the way she liked it and handed it to her. "Haley called this morning. They'll be here with the kids sometime after breakfast. Neither of the kids have ever been to the city before, so I figured we could do a little sightseeing today. Brooke and Julian have a doctor's appointment to check up on the twins later this afternoon, so they most likely won't be joining us until dinner."

Peyton's face slightly fell but she recovered quickly enough. Just before the coffee maker had gone off she was going to suggest that they do something together today.

Alone.

Just the two of them.

Since it was Thanksgiving weekend Peyton knew Lucas hadn't been planning on doing any work on his book today, so it was the perfect opportunity for them to spend the day together. Guess that plan was shot.

"Sorry, I should have asked you first if that was okay." He apologized not missing her lack of response. Had last night been more overwhelming than Peyton had been willing to admit?

"Don't be ridiculous. This is your home you're free to invite whomever. You don't have to check in with me." She calmly took a sip of her coffee.

"This is our home." He corrected her.

"And Haley and company are family right? So of course they are welcome here. Besides they're only in town til Sunday, so you should really spend time with them. It doesn't sound like you see them much."

"We." He corrected her again. "We don't see them much and we should spend time with them. Together." Lucas was determined to get Peyton into the mindset of them being a team, of them being a couple.

Peyton nodded. "Yes, we." She replied making the adjustment for his sake, though it didn't roll off the tongue as easily for her as it did for Lucas. Just another thing she would have to eventually adjust to. Something else to add to her growing list of insecurities, but she would try. She would give it a shot for him.

"Are you sure you're okay with them coming over then?"

"Of course I am." She reassured him. Besides there would be plenty of other opportunities for her and Lucas to spend some time alone, and she did genuinely like Nathan and his family. Plus a little sightseeing could be fun. She had barely ventured out of the apartment since moving in last week.

"You sure?" He sounded worried as he once again moved forward and closed the gap between them. "It's okay if you need a break. They'll understand."

Peyton looked up into his baby blues and smiled. "I'm fine." She replied deeply touched by his concern. "I like your family." She added as she felt Lucas wrap an arm around her slim waist pulling her into a hug. His free hand played with her wrist again.

"Good. I'm glad you do because they love you."

Peyton held on to her smile as she set her coffee mug down on the kitchen counter and made a move to hug him back. She was pleased to discover that just like last night there were no awkward or uncomfortable feelings that accompanied this hug. The blonde felt at ease, safe and warm in his embrace. As a bonus Lucas did also happen to smell kind of good. Like really good.

"Pancakes for breakfast?" He suggested after loosening his hold and pulling back slightly. Peyton nodded excitedly. Pancakes were her favorite breakfast food hands down. "Cool. I'll get started on them then." He announced gently releasing her and turning away to get their breakfast started.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower real quick then." She said seeing that he had everything handled here. Peyton had quickly discovered that Lucas was a much better cook than she was. She just plain sucked, but what could you expected when you were raised by a dad who vaguely knew how to crack an egg. Take-out had been a staple in the Sawyer household. The only time they had ever made an effort cooking was on Thanksgiving and even then the food was barely edible.

"Sounds good." Lucas spoke over his shoulder as he continued to pull out the ingredients for their pancakes.

Peyton was half way out of the kitchen before she remembered one important detail. "Oh wait! Can we add—"

"Blueberries. Got it." He interrupted holding up the container of blueberries over his shoulder that he had already grabbed out of the fridge for Peyton to see.

Blueberry pancakes were her absolutely favorite, but of course he already knew that.

* * *

They had started their morning with a nice stroll through Central Park bypassing their way through the endless flow of bikers, joggers, horses and carriages, and even a few rollerbladers that filled the park. The Friday after Thanksgiving had been uncharacteristically warm for the end of November, so Lucas had led the group further east into the park until they reached Loeb Boathouse, where they had rented a rowboat on the lake. Lydia in particular had taken the trip out on the lake to heart as she immediately declared herself captain of the ship and in a bossy fashion proceed to dictate the direction of their rowboat around the lake. After Central Park the group made their way further downtown stopping at Herald Square for a little retail shopping and more importantly to check out Macy's yearly holiday window display that the department store was renowned for. After grabbing a quick lunch in the Macy's food court, they walked a couple of blocks east towards their next destination, the Empire State Building. Seeing how it was a holiday weekend, the wait for getting to the top of the building had been a long one, but well worth the wait, especially for Jamie and Lydia, who were in complete awe as they looked down at the city streets realizing for the first time just how big New York City really was. After traveling back down the Empire State's 102 stories, the adults had agreed on splitting up for the remainder of the outing. The boys headed towards Times Square to visit the Discovery Museum to check out the Marvel's Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N Exhibit, much to Lucas' displeasure – not because he wasn't excited to check out the exhibit, but because he absolutely hated navigating through the nightmare that was Times Square. In his opinion Times Square was the worst part of the city – way too many people to deal with, proving that he was still a small town kid at heart. Peyton, Haley and Lydia having zero interest in anything Avengers related opted to take Lydia to the American Girl Place, followed by tea and dessert at Alice's Tea Cup , a very cute Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant – which was perfect for Liddy since it was presently her favorite book to be read to at bedtime.

And so after spending all morning and the better part of the afternoon exploring the city, the two groups had decided to meet back at Lucas and Peyton's apartment once they were done with their respective excursions. It left them with a few hours to relax before heading out again for dinner.

After going into great detail about the Alice in Wonderland themed place with her father and uncle, Lydia teetered back and forth on her two feet dramatically. "What should we do now?" She asked sweetly.

"How about some quite time?" Nathan hurriedly suggested. Since they had been out for most of the day Lydia had missed her scheduled nap, which had begun to take its toll as she was starting to get a little antsy. It was too late in the day now to have her take a nap, so the adults had no choice but to deal with it.

Lydia shot her head up to look at her father. The disproving look written all over her face let everyone know that idea had been effectively shot down, by a three year old no less.

Nathan sighed. "Well I'm out of ideas, ask your mother then."

"Hey!" Haley scowled over at her husband.

Nathan laughed as they both watched their daughter sway her way towards her mother.

"I hear Brooke's couch is quite comfortable." Haley casually commented as she picked up her daughter placing her on her lap.

Nathan looked over at his wife before playfully rolling his eyes. Being the adult that she was Haley stuck out her tongue at him in retaliation.

"What should we do mama?" Lydia questioned once more as she grabbed Haley's hands and began to play with them.

"I dunno babe, anything in mind?"

Liddy quickly shook her head in reply.

"Well…it looks like Jamie is gonna watch a movie. You can watch with him if you want?" Haley suggested as she nodded towards her son who was busy shifting through Lucas and Peyton's movie collection.

Lydia's interest peeked up at the suggestion. "Can we watch Frozen?!" Her tone filled with excitement.

"No." Jamie said flatly still engaged in his movie search. He loved his sister dearly, but he couldn't bear to watch that movie yet again.

"But I wanna watch Frozen." Lydia began to whine.

Jamie's head whipped back to look at his mother. "Mom." He groaned not wanting his sister to get her way like she usually did. "You said I could pick whatever I want." He reminded her, his eyes narrowing.

"I know Jamie. I haven't forgotten." She appeased her eldest. "Sorry hun but its Jamie's turn to pick a movie this time." She said turning to her daughter. "You can pick next time." Haley promised her.

Lydia slid off her mother's lap releasing a huff of annoyance. Haley was about to brace herself for the temper tantrum that followed, but then Peyton of all people was about to save the day.

Peyton appeared before Lydia crouching down to her eye level. "You know what? I don't really feel like watching a movie anyway. I was gonna go to my office and draw some. Would you like to join me Lydia? I've got paper, pencils, crayons and stuff we could use. How bout it?"

The little girl didn't have to think twice as she found herself nodding enthusiastically at Peyton's suggestion. Lydia threw her arms around Peyton's neck happy that her favorite aunt was willing to play with her. A startled Peyton eventually returned the hug and chuckled. "Shall we go?" Peyton questioned with Lydia still tightly wrapped around her.

"Yup!"

"Ok then." Peyton replied standing up and taking Lydia with her, placing the three year old over her hip as she held her up.

"Have fun!" Haley called out as they watched Peyton and Lydia disappear down the hall. Haley looked over at Lucas stunned, though still pleasantly surprised over what had just occurred. Up until this point Peyton had kept her distance from the kids, which Haley had attributed to the fact that it was probably still too awkward for Peyton to fully engage with them.

Lucas looked just as surprised as Haley did. "This is good right?"

Haley smiled. "Pretty sure."

* * *

Peyton and Lydia sat on the floor of Peyton's office with art supplies scattered all around them. At first Lydia had made a mad dash for Peyton's paint supplies, but Peyton had quickly snatched those away having no desire in having to clean up what was guaranteed to get messy fairly quickly. Peyton had given her the choice between crayons and colored pencils. Lydia had chosen the colored pencils. After handing Lydia a sketch pad, Peyton grabbed one for herself. She had nothing in particular she wanted to draw – in fact she hadn't drawn anything at all since her accident, so instead she aimlessly doodled on the pad, while carefully listening to Lydia ramble off randomly about several things. They had just finished talking about how much Liddy liked her daycare, when Jamie came waltzing in the room.

Peyton checked the time. Only thirty minutes had passed since they came in here. Dinner wasn't for another two hours. "Hey there." She greeted surprised to see Jamie here.

"Hey." Jamie returned the greeting.

"What happened to your movie?"

"I got bored." He admitted. "Thought I'd hang out here. Is that okay?"

"Sure it is."

"Cool." Jamie made his way behind Peyton's desk and plopped down on her chair.

"Jamie you can draw wif me and Aunt Peyton." Lydia offered. She was laid out of the floor, stomach down as she continued to draw on her sketch pad.

"That's okay Liddy, thanks." Jamie replied as he began toying with Peyton's computer since it was already on.

"So how was that Marvel thingy today?" Peyton asked deciding to make conversation once Jamie had grown quiet.

"The Avengers." Jamie stated.

"Right." Peyton replied in a confident tone.

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea who the Avengers are do you Aunt Peyton?"

"Nope." She replied again just as confident and cracked a smile.

Jamie chuckled. "It was cool. They had all the costumes and stuff from the movies. Dad and Uncle Lucas wanted to swipe the Iron Man costume." Jamie said fully laughing this time.

"The Avengers are your favorite superhero?"

Jamie chuckled again. "The Avengers are a team of different superheroes actually." He corrected her.

Peyton rolled her eyes at her stupidly. "That makes sense."

"I really like the Avengers, but they're not my favorite."

"Who is?"

"Batman." Jamie replied automatically.

"Now him I actually know." Peyton teased. "When I was in high school I dressed up as Harley Quinn for Halloween one year and Brooke was Poison Ivy. Although most people thought I was just dressed up as a stupid jester so that was kind of annoying." She frowned thinking what a waste of a costume that had been on her idiot classmates.

Jamie nodded. "I remember. You showed me a picture once."

A sad smile crept over her lips. If only she could remember that. "Oh. Okay then."

A pause passed.

"So…why is Batman your favorite?" Peyton curiously inquired.

"I dunno…" Jamie shrugged. "I guess cause he's not like everyone else. He's not like your average superhero. He wasn't born with powers or had some weird freak accident that gave him powers. Batman's just a regular guy that fights and well yea the gadgets help too, but it's kind of cool that he's still a superhero without all the powers. It's like anyone can be Batman right? I like that. Plus the Batmobile is like the coolest car ever."

Peyton laughed. "It is a pretty sweet ride." She agreed. "And you're a pretty smart kid for just being nine. I've never thought of Batman like that, but I guess you're right, he really isn't like most superheroes." Peyton flipped the page of her pad to a clean page. She knew exactly what she wanted to draw now.

An hour later and the girls were still on the floor drawing, while Jamie played a game on the computer.

"What are you drawing Lydia?" Peyton asked as her eyes peeked over at Lydia's drawing.

"Elsa." Lydia happily chirped as she drew another line with the blue colored pencil in her hand.

"Elsa huh?" Peyton spoke. "Is that a friend of yours?"

Lydia paused looking up over at her aunt. She gave her look of distrust, the kind of look adults give when they've heard something incredibly stupid. "She's a Disney princess." Lydia said sounding both exasperated and somewhat offended at the same time before returning to her drawing. "Duh…" She quietly drawled out, but it was still loud enough for Peyton to hear.

Peyton frowned.

Geez someone was grouchy.

From her desk Peyton could hear Jamie muffle a laugh.

"I'm thirsty." Lydia announced. She stood up and abandoned her sketch pad, exiting the room in search of her parents.

"She's kind of a pain sometimes." Jamie stated once his sister was out of the room.

"She's three." Peyton defended.

Jamie shrugged.

"Wanna see what I've been working on?" Peyton offered as she put the final touches on her drawing. She had planned on just sketching a basic drawing, but it seemed her hand had a mind of its own and decided to create something entirely different. Peyton really had to pat herself on the back for this one, the finished product in her hands was pretty impressive. She didn't even know she could draw like that – apparently she had picked up a thing or two in the last eight years.

"Sure." Jamie pushed the chair away from the desk and hopped out. He walked over before sliding down next to Peyton on the floor. His jaw dropped. "That is so awesome!" He shouted practically ripping the pad from her hands. "How did you do this?!" He exclaimed taking a closer look.

"Was wondering that myself." Peyton softly muttered under her breath.

"It's like he coming out of the page!" He added as he admired the 3D drawing of Batman that Peyton had done. "This is so cool."

"Well I'm glad you like it because it's for you."

"Really?" Jamie's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, I mean I still have to fill in the color, but it's yours once I'm done. Think of it as a belated birthday present, I heard we kind of missed an epic birthday party last month." Last night after dinner Haley had shown everyone some pictures of Jamie's birthday party on her phone.

The sketch pad in Jamie's hands fell down to his lap. "Because of your accident?" He gently spoke making eye contact with Peyton.

"Your parents told you about that huh?"

Jamie nodded. "Not at first, but eventually they did. Just me though, Liddy just thinks you're confused about things. Dad said you got hurt really bad though."

"That's true. I did." Peyton replied honestly. "I was in the hospital for awhile."

"But you're okay now right?" He said in a hopeful tone.

Peyton nodded. "I'm healing. You don't have to worry about me okay? I'll be just fine Jamie."

"Does it still hurt?" He questioned.

"My head? Nah, not anymore." She reassured him.

Jamie sighed, his lips twitched before he took a pause. "I wasn't really talking about that." He said while shaking his head. "You just look really…sad sometimes that's all." He added with a sad smile.

Peyton really couldn't believe how this nine year old had managed to see right through her. "Wow you really are a smart kid." She blew out a breath. "You're right sometimes I do get sad." She admitted. There was no use in lying to him now. "But I'm lucky because I have Uncle Lucas and he does a good job of making sure I don't stay sad for long. He protects me when I'm feeling down."

Jamie smiled. "He protects you kind of like a superhero would!" He joked.

Peyton laughed. "Yeah, I guess he does." She replied as she thought of Lucas fondly.

"But you don't remember me do you Aunt Peyton?"

Peyton shook her head. "No buddy, I'm sorry I don't."

"But you will soon right?" He gave another hopeful look. It broke her heart. She almost wanted to cry.

"I sure hope so." Peyton placed a hand over Jamie's and gave it a squeeze. "But that doesn't mean we can't make new memories in the meantime."

Jamie silently nodded agreeing. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too." She winked attempting to lighten up the mood.

"I can really have this though?" He looked back down at the sketch on his lap.

"Absolutely. I'll make sure to finish it before you guys head back to Tree Hill." She promised him.

"Cool, thanks."

"Hey guys!" Haley appeared with Lydia in tow. "How's it going?"

"Mom look at what Aunt Peyton drew for me!" Jamie held it up for her to see.

"Oh my god that's amazing." Haley stepped closer to admire Peyton's handy work. "That's gonna look so great in your room."

"Check it out Liddy." Jamie called out.

Lydia sucked on the straw connected to the juice box she had been given. She stared blankly at the Batman sketch before sitting back down on the floor returning to her own drawing.

"Well apparently it left her speechless." Peyton teased making Haley laugh.

"I'm gonna go show dad and Uncle Lucas." Jamie announced racing out of the room.

"He's gonna really love hanging that up in his room Peyton. Thank you." Haley spoke. "He loves it whenever you make artwork for him."

Peyton smiled. "He seems like a good kid."

"He is and he looks up to you a lot. In fact there's a whole wall in his room where he hangs up everything you've drawn or painted for him." Haley explained.

The smile on Peyton's face stretched even further. "That's sweet."

* * *

An hour later they had met up with Brooke and Julian for dinner. They had decided on Dave & Buster's located in Times Square – much to Lucas' dismay, who protested in the beginning about having to go back down there twice in one day, especially at night when there would be even larger crowds. But once Jamie discovered where they were going, he became overly excited and no one else had the heart to suggest another dinner option, so Lucas eventually relented to please his mini-me.

Dave & Buster's was a sports bar type restaurant that served your typical American food. The real attraction however was the giant arcade room where you could play games to your heart's content. It was basically a Chuck E. Cheese for adults with booze of course, but kids were welcome as well. After eating first, the rest of the group had gone off to play games with the kids, while Nathan and Lucas decided to sit at the bar for a drink.

"Cheers." Nathan toasted as him and Lucas tapped their beer bottles together. "I'm fucking exhausted." Nathan said after taking a swig of his beer. "It's been awhile since we've packed up the kids for a getaway." He mused. Instead of flying to New York, they had decided on driving up from North Carolina and doing an old fashion road trip. It had been a long drive – ten hours to be exact – and driving with a three year old in the back wasn't easy, but it was time with his family that had been well spent. During basketball season Nathan missed out on a lot, but he tried to make up for it as much as he could.

"Well I'm glad you guys came up." Lucas said. "I've missed you guys and I'm glad Peyton got to see everyone.

"Us too." Nathan agreed. " I have to say though you two seem different today." He informed his brother after a beat.

"How so?"

"You guys haven't been able to keep your eyes off each other all day. Haley noticed it too." Nathan replied. "It wasn't like that between you last night at dinner." He remarked.

"Well…"

"Did something happen between you two last night?" Nathan wiggled his eyebrow suggestively. "Because I'm detecting a lot of sexual tension in the air." He teased.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Nothing like that you idiot." He took a sip of his beer. "We just talked and cleared the air about some things."

"That sounds boring." Nathan drawled out.

Lucas narrowed his eyes glaring at his brother.

Nathan laughed. "I'm just messing with you man. It's good that you guys are working things out."

"I think it's brought us closer or at least it feels like we're closer. I think she's finally ready to let me in Nate."

"What did you guys talk about?" Nathan wondered.

"Mostly how we're both feeling about the way things are between us right now." Lucas answered. He left it vague not wanting to disclose his conversation with Peyton in detail. Things between them were still too fresh and he didn't want to betray her trust by sharing personal details with his brother. "But overall it sounds like she's really willing to make an effort and I'm grateful. For awhile there it felt like I was getting nowhere." He admitted. "And I've really missed her."

"Did you tell her that?"

Lucas nodded again. "She knows and the good part is that she actually cares. I could tell she meant it."

"That's awesome man. Cheers to that." Nathan said holding up his drink again towards Lucas before taking another sip.

Lucas followed suit taking another sip as well. "She also kind of hugged me last night. For awhile actually."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Nathan stated. He finished his bottle as he motioned the bartender for another round of beers. "I knew something must have happened with the way you two have been eyeing each other today. You guys did hook up huh?" He smirked. "Spare me the details though." He quickly added. A simple yes or no would suffice.

Lucas gave his brother another eye roll. "Nothing like that." He said dismissively. "She just kind of hugged me and I hugged her back. It was intimate nonetheless. She's never allowed me to get close to her like that. And the best part was that she was the one who initiated it all." Lucas grinned.

"Careful man you sound like a thirteen year old girl gushing about her first crush." Nathan laughed hard.

"Hey I'll take what I can get." The blond defended his excitement over his shared hug with Peyton the night before. "Peyton hasn't really been open to me showering her with affection these days."

Nathan ignored him and continued to laugh.

Lucas scowled. "Haley would get it." He mumbled. "Your simple mind just can't comprehend us real adults." He teased as he took the fresh cold beer the bartender set down in front of him.

"I'll get over it." Nathan dryly spoke. "But please feel free to share your feelings in your next diary entry. I'm sure it will be a riveting read. I'm curious to find out what happens when Peyton finally lets you hold her hand."

"Ass."

Nathan laughed. "But in all seriousness you guys will find your way back." He spoke after his laughter had died down. His tone becoming more serious. "I can't imagine either of you without the other, so it'll be okay. You'll get it back. Honestly, I just give you a hard time because you're so goddamn serious all the time." Well into his teen years Lucas had developed this serious, broody personality. He tended to dwell on things longer than necessary and because he was always concerned about what was to come, he had a habit of forgetting to stop to enjoy the present. Being with Peyton had loosened him up some over the years, but he was still that guy and old habits die hard. Nathan knew his brother needed to let loose a little. It would be good for Lucas.

And Peyton.

And more importantly their relationship.

Lucas shrugged.

"You don't have to be this strong serious dude all the time man. Maybe if you loosened up a little and started to have more fun, then maybe Peyton would too." He advised. "You two might get closer, less pressure that way."

Lucas nodded slowly in thought. Perhaps his younger brother was on to something.

* * *

So after the last chapter I know there wasn't a lot of Leyton in this one, but I've been itching to write a scene with Peyton and the kids, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to do so. Peyton hasn't really been willing to talk much about her accident since it makes her feel so vulnerable. Having her touch on the subject (as light as it was) with Jamie seemed to work for me. As we know even though he's just a kid, Jamie has always acted older than his actual age, so it didn't seem that much of a stretch for me to have him approach Peyton about her accident. And for Peyton it makes it less intimidating for her to discuss it with Jamie because he is a kid.

But more importantly what do you guys think?

Looking forward to reading it.


	15. To Wish Impossible Things

Reviews

 **ktlynrose** \- So glad you've enjoyed reading the story so far. Lucas and Peyton will continue to get closer. The sexual tension between them will only get better, I promise. :p

 **itsnjm1** \- Yes, yes, everyone wants to know what happens with Jake! Patience is a virtue :)

 **Tpassions** \- Yes I too loved Peyton and Jamie's little one-on-one. Jamie's a smart kid and in my experience sometimes kids are much more willing to tackle truths more so than adults, who tend to be much more cautious. I believe Peyton really needed it.

 **Guest** \- I don't wanna give too much away, but I will say this about the college reunion - it will be a drastic eye-opener for both Peyton and Lucas in different ways.

 **Guest** \- I'm glad you liked the family bonding! I really wanted to include it!

* * *

So reviews were down for the last chapter, like wayyyy down. So not sure if it was just a slow week for people or maybe that just no one was really feeling the last chapter? I'm curious!

I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter. As always thank you a million times for tuning into this story. I love you guys!

Titled track for this chapter: 'To Wish Impossible Things' by The Cure (which is also the title of an actual OTH episode, can you guess which one?!)

* * *

Chapter 15: To Wish Impossible Things

Saturday had been another day packed with sightseeing around the Big Apple. Nathan and Haley would be heading back to Tree Hill early the next day and so the gang had spent the entire day together. After one last dinner together the evening was drawing to a close. Wanting to get some girl time in before Haley's departure, Brooke had suggested the ladies go out for a quick drink at a bar located mere blocks away from her apartment. Leaving the girls to do their own thing, the men headed back to the apartment so Nathan could get the kids ready for bed. Brooke had taken the girls to Ten Degrees, a cozy little bar in the East Village. After grabbing a table and placing their drink orders with the waitress, they wasted no time diving right into conversation.

"And next month's appointment is the big one!" Brooke exclaimed after showing Haley and Peyton the latest sonogram picture of the twins. "We'll find out the sex of the babies." The brunette was grinning from ear to ear as she spoke.

"What are you guys hoping for?" Haley asked.

The waitress came over with their drinks, the ladies quickly thanking her.

"Oh it's all very cliché." Brooke admitted. "I want baby girls and husband wants boys." She took a sip of her ginger ale. "Though one of each would have been kind of cool too."

Haley nodded.

"Do you think you and Nate will ever have another one?" Brooke wondered.

Haley quickly shook her head. "No I'm definitely done. I love my kids, but I never really enjoyed the pregnancy part to be honest. Morning sickness was hell, with both kids it lasted well into my second trimester, and my body was always uncomfortable. I rarely had great days. I don't think I could go at it a third time. Plus our schedules are so hectic these days I don't think we have the time let alone the energy to take care of a baby. I hope you're getting lots of sleep because you can kiss that goodbye for the next couple of years." Haley teased.

Brooke blew out a breath. "So not looking forward to that." She frowned. "So I've decided Julian is in charge of late night feedings."

"Oh he volunteered huh?" Peyton chuckled.

"Oh he doesn't know yet, but looks like I just volunteered him. And he's not here so it looks like he doesn't get a say. Too bad." Brooke innocently shrugged her shoulders.

Haley laughed. "Good luck to Julian." She said right before taking a sip out of her cocktail. "Damn this is good."

Brooke looked over envious. "Remind me again why I thought going out for drinks was a good idea?"

"I'll have another drink on your behalf Brooke." Peyton kindly offered.

"Gee thanks." Brooke said flatly.

"I read somewhere once that you can have wine every now and then when pregnant. Is that true?" Peyton questioned.

Brooke had heard that as well, but had decided right away it wasn't worth it. "Supposedly, but I rather not risk it. It's a miracle I'm even pregnant in the first place."

"Yea I skipped the wine as well both times I was pregnant." Haley informed them.

"Okay well I've pretty much updated you guys on everything going on with me. It's your turn tutor girl." Both girls looked over at Haley waiting for her to give them a rundown of her life.

Haley shrugged before giving a simple answer. "Things are good."

Brooke raised an eyebrow while eyeing her friend over. "Things are good?" She mocked. "That's it?" She frowned unimpressed.

"Pretty much." Haley replied avoiding eye contact.

Brooke shook her head. "No, that's not right." She said dismissively. "Normally I can't get you to shut up. You're the most talkative person I've ever met." The brunette pointed out. "What gives? You usually have plenty to say."

Peyton remained silent having no opinion on the matter since she really didn't know what Haley was like. She lifted her glass of white wine giving it a swirl waiting to see Haley's response.

"Nothing gives Brooke." Haley politely replied. It was her last night in the city and she really wasn't in the mood to divulge too deep about her personal life this evening. She just wanted to enjoy the company of her best gal pals and have a few drinks – something she rarely partook in these days. "Everything is pretty much the same. The kids are good, Nathan is good, and I'm good and really busy with the label. There's not much to tell."

Brooke picked up on the look on Haley's face. The clear look that told Brooke that Haley wanted to drop the subject, but of course Brooke couldn't ignore that nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to push on. It just wasn't in the brunette's nature to let things go so easily. "You're obviously deflecting, which lets me know that things can't be that good." She challenged. "What's going on? Should I be worried?" She added warily.

Haley groaned. "I rather not get into it Brooke. It's nothing really. I'm fine, I promise, you know me." She reassured her.

"And you should know me better than to think that I'm just gonna let this go." Brooke gave her a pointed look. "Spill." She forcibly commanded.

"Fine." Haley grumbled a show of protest, but surrendered the fight. If she didn't she knew Brooke would just spend the remainder of their evening aggressively prodding for info. "Listen it's not a big deal, but Nathan and I are…just dealing with some issues… a minor issue really."

Brooke loudly choked on the sip of soda she had just taken. She hadn't been expecting that.

Haley awkwardly shifted in her seat.

"You and Nathan are having problems!" Brooke spat out.

"Brooke lower your voice." Peyton hushed her friend. The blonde internally questioned whether she should excuse herself from the table. The broached topic felt way too personal for her ears.

"But it's you and Nathan! You're Nathan and Haley….Naley! You can't be fighting! I can't – no I won't allow this to be happening right now!" Brooke rambled on dramatically. "I mean you guys are like the most perfect couple ever."

Haley sighed. "I can assure you that Nathan and I are far from perfect Brooke."

"Wait, but you guys seemed great this entire weekend!" Brooke said in a pout. "Oh my god are you guys breaking up?!" She turned to Haley suddenly with a dreaded look on her face.

Haley released a soft laugh as she shook her head at Brooke and her flair for the dramatics. "Of course not." She answered firmly. "Nathan is my husband and I love him very much. We're fine…for the most part. We're just dealing with some things right now."

Brooke blew out a breath. Haley's response was calm and collective so she could tell that it was the truth. "But you guys are fighting then?"

Haley's head tilted side to side a little in thought. "I mean not really fighting, it's more discussing and yea I guess we've argued some, but we're not sleeping in separate rooms or anything."

Brooke could no longer stand how cryptic her friend was being. "Okay you gotta give us more Hales. I'm dying over here. You've just given me a major head trip with this unexpected revelation."

"I really feel like I shouldn't be here for this…" Peyton piped in. "It seems a little too private for my knowledge. So I'm just gonna hit the bar for a bit…" Peyton moved to stand up but Brooke grabbed the sleeve of her arm.

"Sit your skinny ass back in that chair blondie." Brooke ordered and yanked Peyton by the sleeve effectively pulling her back down. "If it wasn't for your memory loss you'd be all over this too, so stay put."

Peyton scowled showing her displeasure.

"It's fine Peyton, really." Haley reassured her. "You and Brooke are like sisters, we pretty much share everything with each other."

Peyton sighed but nodded nonetheless. "Okay." She quietly said giving in, even though she still felt uncomfortable learning private details about her ex's married life.

Now that Peyton wasn't going anywhere, Brooke turned her attention back to Haley. "So what's the deal with you two?"

"Honestly it's really not a big deal or really I should say it's not anything new. We've been dealing with this for a couple of years now." Haley began. "It's just that basketball takes up a lot of Nathan's time and I just wish he was around more. I hate that he misses out on things because he's so busy going back and forth between Charlotte and Tree Hill. I mean we haven't spent this many days together in a row in months!"

"Okay I can totally see how that would suck." Brooke gave her friend a sympathetic look. "But hey at least you guys are talking about it, so you'll figure it out. I know you will."

Haley huffed. "Except that we aren't figuring it out – like I said before this isn't a new subject between us. I've brought it up before in the past and there really isn't a clear solution unless…" Haley trailed off.

"Unless Nathan quits basketball." Peyton bluntly stated seeing where Haley was going with this.

"Which is something I would NEVER ask of him." Haley added. "The NBA is his dream and he's worked so damn hard to get there. He deserves to be there and I would never take that away from him….but sometimes I dunno…I guess I get a little selfish and I wish my husband was home with his kids and had a regular nine to five." Haley sighed. "Does that make me sound like a horrible person?" Her lips transformed into a sad frown.

"Of course not Haley." Brooke reassured her.

"And he misses out on so much stuff with the kids too. I mean Jamie's in this new basketball league – which Nathan was the one who signed him up for by the way – and Nathan hasn't been able to make any of his games, and Lydia's getting so big, so fast! And I just don't want him to regret missing out on all that stuff or the kids resenting his absence. And please don't mistaken this for me bad mouthing Nathan because when he is home, he's 100% all about the kids and spending time with us, but…I guess I'm reaching the point where I'm just…tired." Haley exhaled a deep breath. "Sorry I tend to ramble, especially when I'm anxious." She informed Peyton.

Peyton chuckled.

"So what are you guys going to do?" Brooke wondered.

"Who knows? I mean we talk about it and then we just kind of sweep it under the rug until the issue presents itself again, which I know is a horrible way of dealing with things, but…what else can we do? This isn't like a regular job, Nathan can't just cut down on his hours from work and I don't wanna move full time to Charlotte, and he's definitely not gonna walk away from basketball anytime soon. He's only 27, he still has a lot of good years left."

"Haley, we both know that if you asked him to Nathan would leave basketball and he wouldn't give it a second thought. You guys will always be more important than the game." Brooke spoke seriously.

"Maybe you're right Brooke! Maybe he would walk away if I was serious about it, but I would never ask him to. I want Nathan to have that, but I want my family together all the time too…to be honest I have no idea what we are going to do."

"I'm curious, what brought up the issue this time?" Peyton asked.

"His basketball contract is up in less than a year." Haley replied. "And we don't really know what's going to happen." She admitted. "He could stay with the Bobcats or move on with another team god knows where. Nathan got drafted into the NBA at 21 and he's 27 now, and it's not super common for many players to stay that long with one team during the beginning of their careers. And Nathan is a really good player and he's gained a lot of traction over the years. He has options now, he doesn't have to stay with the Bobcats. For all we know he'll be playing for a team across the country by this time next year and it's a real possibility we'll have to pack up our stuff and move somewhere else, otherwise I'll never see my husband."

"Did Nathan say he didn't want to play for the Bobcats anymore?" Brooke said.

"No, he's still very loyal to them, but I mean c'mon let's be real, if the Lakers or the Bulls come knocking Nathan's not gonna walk away from that. He's been very honest about things, we both have. We both just feel kind of stuck because there's no clear solution that would equally satisfy the both of us. I just want him home more that's all and he totally sees where I'm coming from. We're not fighting, we're just kind of stuck in this limbo." Haley sighed. "I need another drink." She said noticing her cocktail glass was empty.

"That really sucks tutor wife. I'm sorry." Brooke dropped a hand on Haley's shoulder giving it a small squeeze. "I had no idea you guys have been dealing with the distance so badly."

"It's not horrible. I mean we do still see Nathan a lot and I take the kids up to our apartment in Charlotte when Nathan can't get away to see us. I just worry more about the kids really. They're used to Nathan being away, but I just worry that it'll start to bother them more as they get older. I know how much Jamie really wants Nathan to see one of his games. It always breaks my heart to see the look on his face when he finds out Nathan can't make it. I just wish things could be different sometimes, but what I want just isn't possible right now."

"But you guys are still okay?" Brooke wondered.

"Yea I mean our marriage is strong and when we're together everything is amazing and perfect, and when he's gone we just really miss him. I know it doesn't make any sense, but we're still in a good place despite that small issue hanging over our heads."

"Sorry if I'm overstepping here, but it just seems kind of like a bigger issue than you're willing to admit." Peyton observed. "Especially if you're having the same argument over and over again."

Haley stayed silent. "Maybe…" She eventually whispered breaking her silence. "But at the same time I'm confident about my marriage. We've always made a good team. I'm not worried – I know it probably sounds foolish, but I'm not. We'll figure it out eventually."

"Well duh you're Naley." Brooke teased. "Always and forever." She playfully mocked.

Haley laughed. The Naley nickname had been affectionately dubbed by Brooke and Peyton years ago and had stuck to the point where the majority of their close friends referred to them by that name now. "Okay well now that I've unloaded my drama, it's clearly Peyton's turn now." Haley grinned over at Peyton. "And I know I speak for Brooke as well when I say – what on earth is going on between you and Lucas?!"

"You've noticed it too right?!" Brooke exclaimed slapping Haley on the arm with her hand.

Peyton blushed. "I have no idea what you're talking about." The blonde replied avoiding eye contact as she took a sip of her wine.

"Oh please." Brooke drawled out her words exaggeratedly. "Let's not even pretend that we all haven't noticed the two of you eye-fucking the hell out of each other these past two days. Plus there have been some touches here and there. It's been very subtle, but I've caught it missy."

"Brooke!" Haley scolded Brooke's crude language.

Brooke shrugged nonchalantly. "What? I'm just putting it out there in the open, making sure we're all on the same page here." She justified before leaning over the table and focusing on Peyton once more. "Now what I really wanna know is if there's something more going on than just sexually charged lingering looks. Are you two finally bumping uglies? Because frankly it took you two long enough."

"Bumping uglies? Really Brooke?" Peyton frowned in disgust.

Haley equally shared the same look across her features. "Yea did you really have to call it that?"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Fine." She gritted impatiently. "Are you and Lucas getting it on between the sheets?" Brooke paused. "Or up against the wall, or over the kitchen table or bent-"

Haley raised her hand silencing Brooke. "Okay that's enough. I think we all got it." She rushed out.

"Too far?" Brooke questioned innocently.

"You think?" Peyton answered sarcastically.

Brooke delivered another shrug. "Just tell us." She whined much like a child would.

"Please stop Brooke, you're embarrassing yourself."

"Really? Because by the looks of it seems like you're the only embarrassed one here at this table P Sawyer." Brooke countered. The hint of pink on Peyton's cheeks had yet to fade.

Taken by surprise Peyton blushed even harder causing Brooke to laugh.

"Shut up." Peyton stammered throwing her napkin at Brooke.

Brooke dodged the napkin still laughing. "I know you like the back of my hand P."

"So…are…you?" Haley meekly questioned after a brief pause of silence had passed.

The laughter in Brooke's voice picked up again, while Peyton looked completely thrown from the fact that Haley of all people was encouraging Brooke's antics.

Haley's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "I'm sorry! I just wanna know if my favorite couple is back on track." She stuttered her words in defense. "And since Brooke already brought it up…"

Brooke's laughs died down immediately. "I thought me and Julian were your favorite couple." She pouted.

Haley rolled her eyes dismissing Brooke.

"I can't believe you two." Peyton shook her head scolding them.

"You can't believe it? Really? Me?" Brooke said while pointing to herself. "It's like you don't even know me at all." She sighed dramatically. "Just tell us what's going on between you and Lucas already."

Peyton blew out a breath though a small smile followed soon after. "Things are good." She stated for the girls.

"Oh no, don't you dare try to pull the same crap Haley over here just did."

"Things are really good?" Peyton offered innocently.

Brooked huffed annoyed.

"I'm joking, chill out." Peyton chuckled. "We talked about a lot of stuff when we got back home Thursday night. I know where he stands and vice versa. I also told him about the reunion and Jake."

Haley looked confused. "Jake? What about him?"

"Peyton plans on speaking with him at her college reunion next month." Brooke replied filling Haley in.

"Oh…wait, why?" Haley frowned. If Peyton wanted to speak with Jake it was probably because her brain was still telling her she was in love with the man.

Catching on to Haley's look of disapproval Peyton quickly replied. "I just want to sort out some things in my head." She reassured Lucas' best friend. "Nothing more."

"And Lucas is okay with that?" Haley questioned looking extremely skeptical.

Peyton narrowed her eyes in response. She didn't need Lucas' permission to talk to Jake. He wasn't her keeper. "He is aware of my plans. I don't need his consent." She said coldly. She didn't need Haley or anyone else for that matter judging her. They had no idea what she was going through.

Haley swallowed hard. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that." She apologized. "Lucas is my best friend and I don't want him to get hurt."

Peyton took in a deep breath and relaxed her nerves. "I don't want that for him either, which is why I told him Haley. He wasn't thrilled at first, but he's okay with it and he's still coming with me to LA." She informed her. "After that talk things have been really good between us. I care for him…I enjoy having him around. He makes me happy." She finished off her words with a smile.

Both Haley and Brooke grinned.

"We aren't sleeping together Brooke." Peyton sternly added seeing that Brooke was about to open her mouth to say something.

Brooke shrugged. "Well at least that's cleared up." She said disappointingly. "Is he still sleeping on the couch?"

Peyton nodded. "Yea." She decided to omit the part where she had fallen asleep in his arms the other night. It hadn't happened again and Peyton wasn't sure if it would. She wasn't sure what she wanted. They had hugged several times since then and Peyton truly enjoyed every second of being in Lucas' embrace. However she was afraid that eventually he would want more and Peyton wasn't sure of how much more she was willing to give him at the moment. They were becoming more affectionate now sure, but that wasn't the same as giving him her heart. That was something Peyton was still keeping close under lock and key, but it was different for Lucas. Peyton wasn't an idiot – Lucas was already giving his heart to her unconditionally. She could tell just by the way he looked at her sometimes. He was always cautious with the way he expressed himself around her to avoid freaking her out, but it was still there. She could tell and she prayed hard that her insecurities didn't destroy Lucas and what he felt for her. It was the last thing she wanted. He was so good to her, too good sometimes that it made the guilt inside feel worse. "I'm not there yet…we're not there yet."

"You should ask him out." Haley suggested.

"Huh?" Peyton said confused.

Haley chuckled. "Like on a date."

"You are still getting to know him so it makes sense." Brooke added agreeing with Haley's suggestion. "Go for it Peyt. Do something fun."

"I think he would really like that." Haley added. "It will let him know that he's not the only one making an effort. He'd be really happy."

Peyton nodded slowly. "I can do that." She said feeling strangely confident.

* * *

Lucas rubbed his sleepy face as he stumbled down the hall making his way towards the bathroom. It was the middle of the night and he had woken up needing to relieve himself. On his way to the bathroom he paused noticing the faint light that was emitting behind the closed door of Peyton's office. He thought it was strange and decided to go investigate, though he assumed that Peyton had probably just forgotten to switch off the light. Lucas opened the door expecting an empty room, but there she was sitting in her chair working. "Hey." He greeted getting her attention. He was surprised to see Peyton up this late. It was four in the morning. "Have you been up this whole time?"

Peyton looked up from her desk greeting him with a simple smile. "No, but I woke up in a panic a couple of hours ago realizing that I never finished Jamie's drawing." She explained.

Lucas made his way over.

"I haven't finished the color yet." She added as Lucas peered over her shoulder.

"It's looking pretty great." He commented. "But hey Jamie will understand if you can't finish it in time. We can mail it to him."

Peyton shook her head furiously. "No. I promised him Lucas." She said, her voice determined.

Lucas nodded knowing he wasn't going to convince her otherwise. He silently turned away moving towards the closet in the room. He rummaged through for about a minute before coming back with a simple black picture frame. "You always frame everything you make him." He explained as he placed the frame on the edge of her desk.

Peyton looked up at Lucas smiling once more. "Thanks." She said grateful. "You wanna hear something weird?" She told him as she dropped the colored pencil in her hand.

"Always." He teased. "What's up?"

"This." She replied gesturing towards her drawing. "I don't know how to draw like this, but I was able to do it." She said huffing a bit. "Which means I learned how to do 3D art somewhere along the way. How is it that I can't remember anything, yet deep down somewhere my subconscious remembers some random drawing technique I've picked up? It's not fair. It makes me really angry actually."

Lucas chewed on his lower lip trying to find the right words. In the end he couldn't find any. "I wish I knew why or how." He said after a beat.

"You and me both." She leaned back into her chair. "You think it's a sign that maybe my memories aren't that far away?"

"What do you think it means?"

Peyton shrugged. "I dunno…as frustrating as it is, I guess it gives me some hope that I haven't lost it all." She answered truthfully.

"Then focus on that. On the bright side of things." Lucas told her. "Your mind isn't as closed off as you thought it was. It's kind of exciting no?" Well he was excited at least.

Her lips gave off another soft smile. "Yea I guess so." She admitted.

"Anyway I'll let you get back to it." He said remembering just how late it was again and he still hadn't actually made it to the bathroom yet. "Try not to stay up too late okay? We've gotta get up pretty early to see them off tomorrow." He reminded her.

"I'll try." She promised picking up her pencil again. "Good night."

Lucas squeezed her shoulder and leaned over placing a light kiss on the top of her head. "Night."

* * *

Peyton got about another hour of sleep that night before they had to wake up that morning to head over to Brooke's for an early breakfast. After receiving his framed drawing from Peyton, Jamie tackled his aunt with the biggest hug, thanking her profusely. Once breakfast was over they all walked over to where Nathan had parked his car before everyone exchanged farewells and promises to get together again soon.

After Nathan and Haley had left, Brooke and Julian opted for a lazy Sunday and had head back to their apartment. Peyton had suggested a short walk through the park and Lucas happily agreed. The morning air was cold, but the sky was clear and the sun was out making it a beautiful day regardless. The fall foliage in the park was quite the lovely sight. Peyton reminded herself that she needed to get back out here and sketch it some time.

During their walk they paused for a water break. Peyton sat on a bench watching Lucas as he purchased two water bottles from a local hotdog vendor. He returned less than a minute later. He tossed Peyton her water and sat beside her. Peyton twisted off the cap and took several quick sips of water. "It's nice that they came up to visit." Peyton spoke referring to Nathan and Haley. "You seemed really happy to see them."

Lucas shrugged shyly. "They're family. It's always good when we get together."

"When did you and Nathan get so close?" She questioned suddenly. She had observed them all weekend and they certainly acted like genuine brothers. It was odd.

"Oh man…." Lucas laughed as his mind flashed back to a time where he and his brother absolutely despised one another. When Haley first started dating Nathan, it had caused a major strain on his friendship with her. Most of the time they had to hang out separately because the rare times that Haley had brought Nathan around it had never ended well. "Oh we didn't start getting close until after Haley married him and was pregnant with Jamie. It took a while for us to get there, but when they did become a family I realized that if I wanted to stay part of Haley's life then I need to at least tolerate Nathan. I think Nathan reached the same conclusion as well. So you know we started hanging out more and Jamie was kind of the natural buffer between us. It forced us to play nice and then eventually we didn't have to pretend anymore. One day Nathan just became my brother and I didn't even find myself second guessing it."

"That sounds really nice." Peyton remarked. "And I'm sure Haley was relieved."

Lucas laughed loudly. "That she was."

"It must have been hard though…to get past all that. I remember what a jerk Nathan used to be to you in high school, though I imagine it was nothing compared to what Dan did."

"It was hard." Lucas acknowledged her words. "I wasn't a miserable kid or anything, but growing up in the same town where your deadbeat dad and spoiled half-brother lived wasn't always easy. I guess eventually I realized that it wasn't fair of me to hold Nathan responsible – it wasn't his fault things ended up the way they did. And to be honest from what he's told me about living with Dan, he definitely wasn't living the dream either."

"Though I'm sure the nice big house and all that money helped." Peyton quipped.

"Probably." Lucas agreed. "But I've made peace with that. I've grown to love the relationship I have with my brother and I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to let Dan Scott get in the way of that. My life is my own. He wasn't there for any of it, so why should I let him have any control over it?"

Peyton nodded. She just learned something new about Lucas right now.

He was brave.

There weren't many people how could just let the past be the past.

"You know…Jamie asked me about my accident." She told Lucas.

"He did?" Lucas asked. Peyton nodded. "Well I can't say that doesn't surprise me. Jamie's just like his mom. He has a very inquisitive nature. What did he want to know?"

"It wasn't super specific or anything. He just wanted to know if I was okay. It was like he could see right through me. He knew everything wasn't fine. It was like he could tell I was struggling internally." Peyton chuckled. "So basically a nine year old schooled me on my feelings. It was weird, but it made me realize something else too."

Lucas nodded for her to proceed.

"I think I'm ready to talk about it now. Can you tell me about the night of my accident?"

"Of course." Lucas replied somewhat hesitantly. It was a conversation he needed to have with her, but had been dreading it at the same time. He still felt an overwhelming amount of guilt over that night. If he had acted differently that night, then there probably would have been no accident to speak of and then he would have never lost the love of his life that night. "Well I mean you know about the accident itself…" He began. "You were standing outside of the apartment and a car raced over the curb and struck you."

Peyton nodded. She had been struck by a reckless drunk driver, who had succumbed to his own injuries from the accident. He had died while she had still been in that coma. "Yea I know that, but I just wondered if there was more I should know."

"There is." Lucas spoke quietly. He took a deep breath as he searched for the strength to tell her. "You had left the apartment to pick up some things at the store. My guess is probably ice cream." He revealed. "Ice cream for me because you wanted us to make up."

"Make up? Did we have a fight that night?"

"We had been arguing a lot recently." He took in another deep breath. "You had been extremely busy with school this year and we never saw each other, and it really bothered me. Eventually it kind of led into this huge blow out, but we reconciled. We decided to set time aside so that we could be together. The night of your accident we had a date scheduled and you were on the phone talking business with Hales. By the time you were done it was too late to go out as planned. I'd been in the living room waiting for you the whole time and I was just so angry and disappointed. I felt like you had just blown me off and didn't care, even though deep down I knew that wasn't true." Lucas sighed. "You felt bad and you wanted to make it up to me, but I wouldn't let you. I pushed you away instead. I just left you alone on our couch and went into my office to work. You were already feeling pretty bad and I guess I just wanted to rub it in more." He dropped his head in shame. "And for that I am sorry Peyton. You don't know how badly I wish I could go back to that night. Things would have been different and you wouldn't have gone outside to make things up between us and….you wouldn't have gotten hit by that car. You'd still be you…we'd still be us. I wish I could go back."

Peyton swallowed hard. Well she hadn't been expecting that. "You blame yourself for what happened to me? Why would you do that?" He was being absurd.

"Because it's the truth." Lucas stated firmly.

"You don't know that, not for sure." She reasoned with him. "I could have still gone outside or even worse you could have been with me and we both would have gotten hit."

Lucas shook his head. "I don't believe that." He was being stubborn. "I was being a dick that night and you almost lost your life because of that. I've wanted to tell you about that night for a while now."

"Luke." She called his name out softly. "What happened to me happened. You couldn't control what went on that night anymore than I could have. I don't blame you and I don't want you thinking like that either."

"I could have lost you." He whispered. The thought of that night and the nights after sitting beside her hospital bed terrified him. It has been the worst time of his entire life.

"But I'm still here." She reminded him. "Even if I've lost a few years, I'm still here." She slid over close to him gliding her arm underneath his before wrapping it around his back. She leaned closer resting the side of her face over his shoulder. "I'm still here…with you." Lucas blew out a breath relaxing. The guilt was still there, but having Peyton willingly wrap herself around him eased the pain. He couldn't get enough of her touch and being this close to her again. It was driving him crazy. "I don't blame you for any of this, so if you're looking for some kind of forgiveness, you can forget it. There's nothing to be forgiven for." Peyton spoke again.

It was like she could read his mind.

"Okay?" She tilted her head up seeking confirmation that he would let this go. "I don't need you dwelling on the past. Not to brag or anything, but that's kind of my job these days and you're kind of stealing my thunder Lucas Scott." She teased releasing a playful laugh.

Lucas smiled. "Okay." He repeated her words after a beat. "I'll try."

"Good." Peyton lifted her shoulders up feeling excited. "Okay, so…I have sort of something to ask you." She smiled letting her shoulders fall back down.

"I'm all ears." He said as he pressed down on the arm over Peyton pulling her closer to him.

"You wanna go out on a date with me?" She question slightly giggling. It felt kind of silly to ask him out like this. She felt like a teenager again, awkward and shy about a potential first date. She was nervous, though for obvious reasons it wasn't like Lucas would turn her down.

Lucas' lips spread into a wide smile. "A date huh?" He teased and nudged her side.

Peyton nodded. "Yea…why not? We can make up for that date we never went on the night of my accident." She reasoned. "Just you and me. Something fun."

Lucas nodded. "Something fun." He repeated. Just like Nathan had drilled into his ear two nights before. His idiot brother was a genius. "Something fun sounds perfect."

* * *

So Leyton's going on a date huh? How do we feel about that guys?

The next chapter will jump right into the date, which is where you guys come in. I'm brainstorming possible date ideas and I wanna hear what you guys think! Tell me what kind of date Lucas and Peyton should go on! Looking for something fun and unique, and that would be very Leyton of them to do. Ready, set, go!

Until next time!


	16. Feel So Close

Reviews

 **Happyvalley** \- And I love you! Thank you for reading.

 **Mia -** So thrilled to read that you enjoyed the last two chapters! This date will definitely focus on creating new memories between Lucas and Peyton.

 **Tpassions14** \- Thank you for all your awesome suggestions!

 **R. Treehill** \- Thank you!

 **thibbs65** \- I never intended for Haley to come across as whinny in the last chapter, so sorry if that was the case. She was just going through a much needed venting. This is the first time she has discussed her issues with Nathan outside of her marriage. As for Nathan, it's not at all about him being selfish in this situation. My goal with this part of the story was to portray a very real issue many parents go through - finding that balance between working and raising your kids. I don't have kids of my own, but it's a very real situation I have seen my older siblings go through with raising their own kids and the guilt that comes with not being able to be around for every little aspect of your child's life all the time. Hope that helps you understand that scene better!

 **jordana60** \- The reunion is close I promise. It kicks off three chapters from now.

 **RoseK124** \- Thank you for your kind words. You have no idea how wonderful it is for us writers so get such encouraging praise. It really makes all the difference.

 **Guest -** You are absolutely right about Brooke! I kept that in mind from the very start when writing this chapter. If you remember at all, Brooke was the one who had set up Naley's first date together in season 1, so naturally she'd be perfect for this kind of thing. Brooke doesn't play a huge role in Leyton's overall date here, but she does have a little influence. You'll see what I mean in the opening scene of this chapter.

 **Guest** \- Yes, I have not forgotten about Peyton's deal with Brooke to read Lucas' books. It'll be coming up soon I promise!

 **Guest** \- Glad you're excited for the date! As for Naley, this won't be the last we hear about their issues, though not for a while since after all this is a story that focuses on Lucas and Peyton! :p

* * *

As promised here's the latest chapter. I have plenty to say, but I'll wait til the end so you guys can just jump right in.

Title track for this chapter: 'Feel So Close' by Calvin Harris

* * *

Chapter 16: Feel So Close

New York City – December 2014

 _Three days ago_

" _So how does this work again?" Lucas said out loud as he eyed the clear glass bowl in front of him._

" _Well…" Peyton began as she took a sheet of paper and went about ripping it into several long strips. "So we each get a turn at picking a piece of paper out of the bowl and whatever it says on there we have to do on our date. To make it more fun, we can't tell the other beforehand what the date activity is that we picked, and we're each responsible for setting up that activity. So no spoilers okay?"_

 _Their date wouldn't be an entire night of random activities strung together. Lucas and Peyton had done some planning. Both of them knew exactly where the date would start off and how they would be ending the night – this little game was just sort of an in-between fun adventure they'd be having. Their big date would kick off at the Neue Galerie New York Museum, where they would check out the museum's art collection, followed by dinner at Café Sabarsky, which was also located inside the museum. After that it was up to fate and the date would continue on to wherever the two pieces of paper they were about to select instructed. They would then be ending the night at the Museum of Natural History to attend an afterhours dance party._

 _Lucas nodded in understanding. "Wait, how come there's already folded up pieces of paper in the bowl?"_

 _Peyton rolled her eyes. "Well because according to Brooke you and me are way too lame to come up with any real fun stuff, so she took it upon herself to add quite a few suggestions as you can see." The blonde explained. "But I didn't sneak a peek I promise." She raised her hand up pledging her sincerity. "Scouts honor."_

" _I'm afraid to even guess what potential disasters lay within that bowl." Lucas gave a deadpanned reply._

" _We might as well just humor her. This whole picking our date out of bowl was kind of her idea anyway. I think she just wants to shake things up a little, you know make it interesting. I think we can both pretty much guarantee that her ideas won't be boring, so I'm game if you are."_

" _Oh I'm game." He said throwing Peyton a wink._

" _Excellent, plus we still get to throw in some ideas of our own as well." She added as she handed Lucas a few strips of paper and a pen. "Remember, make it fun." She said before sitting down across from Lucas and grabbing a pen for herself._

 _Ten minutes later they had each written down their ideas and tossed their folded pieces of paper in the bowl with the rest of the bunch._

" _Ladies first." Lucas said gesturing for her to go ahead._

" _Why thank you sir." She said politely giving the bowl a good shake before dipping her hand inside. She let her fingers casually trail across the contents of the bowl for a few seconds before she finally decided on a piece of paper and pulled it out. She pulled it close to her chest so Lucas couldn't sneak a peek. Tilting her head down Peyton unfolded the paper and silently read. The laughter that erupted from her was immediate. She recognized the handwriting instantly. She had picked out one of Brooke's suggestions. "Oh man…" Peyton drawled out. "This is going to be so much fun." She smiled in complete satisfaction. Peyton had to hand it to Brooke – the woman could deliver. She would have never thought up of this idea on her own._

" _Good one huh?" Lucas concluded as Peyton was grinning like an idiot._

" _Yep." She replied playfully popping the p at the end of her response._

" _Can I get a small hint?" He said shooting her a hopeful glance._

" _It's gonna be fun." Peyton replied and pushed the bowl towards him. "Your turn." She told him._

 _Lucas frowned. Apparently Peyton was taking the no sharing rule very seriously. "Fine. Be like that." He pretended to sound offended before reaching into the bowl. Lucas didn't take his time like Peyton had and just pulled out the first piece that had grazed his fingertips. He opened it up and read it. A second later a small smile formed. He had ended up picking out one of his own suggestions – in his opinion the best of the bunch of ideas he had written down. "Looks like we're good then." He stated now that each of them had their date activities settled._

 _Peyton smirked. "Can't wait."_

* * *

Present Day

Their date was today and Peyton had been looking forward to it all week. They had decided on today because it was the only day this week that accommodated both their schedules – well really Lucas' schedule to be honest. He had been slammed with business meetings with his editor these past few days and tomorrow he was heading to this year's annual BookCon, where he'd be in Chicago for the next two days. His agent had booked him for a Q&A section, where he would also be reading an excerpt from his upcoming book. The Q&A would then be followed by a book signing. After BookCon, Lucas would be flying back to New York for the night and then the following day he'd be boarding yet another flight, this time with Peyton by his side to LA for the reunion. And seeing how neither of them wanted to wait until after LA to have their date, today was the only day they had to go out.

Peyton was in the bedroom digging through her jewelry box in search of a necklace to complete her outfit. She had chosen to wear a short strapless burgundy colored dress that she had purchased two days ago during a shopping trip with Brooke. The back of the dress mimicked that of a corset as it was laced-up from the waist up. The front of the dress, more specifically the bustier area was completely covered in various shades of gold beading. Due to the cold December weather, Peyton had paired the dress with a pair of thick black tights she had found in her dresser and a cute pair of black suede ankle boots from her closet. She had decided on sporting her signature curls, but used a curling wand to create looser curls that flowed rather than her usual tighter ringlets. She kept her hair down pinning back a few stands to cover up the spot in the back of her head that she was still terribly self-conscious about. As for her make-up she had kept it light, with the exception of her black eyeliner, where she had decided to go a little heavy on. All Peyton needed to do now was find a necklace to match the studded earrings she wore and she'd be good to go. It didn't take long before she found a simple gold chain that worked. Out of the corner of her eye Peyton spotted the engagement ring and wedding band she had tucked away with the rest of her jewelry. She hadn't tried on the engagement ring since that one time at the hospital where Lucas had almost caught her. It didn't feel right for her to rock them on her finger just yet, but at the same time it suddenly didn't seem right to have them stowed away either. Lucas had yet to comment on the absence of those rings, but she was pretty sure he'd noticed that she wasn't wearing them.

It occurred to Peyton just then that she didn't have to necessarily wear those rings on her finger to demonstrate that she was committed to improving her relationship with Lucas. Peyton smiled taking the rings from their hiding spot in the jewelry box. She then proceeded to unclasp the necklace in her hands and stringed the rings through said necklace. Once the rings were secured she brought the necklace to her neck clasping it shut.

A few minutes later she exited the bedroom in search of her date. "Lucas? I'm ready." She called out unable to find him. She had checked his office, the living room and the kitchen coming up empty handed. Peyton called his name out a second time, but still no reply. Giving up she returned to the living room taking a seat on one of the chairs and waited. Perhaps he had gone outside for something?

Not less than a minute later she heard the doorbell. Peyton quickly leapt up from her seat and walked over to the door. She checked the peephole confirming that it was indeed Lucas and opened the door. "You forget your keys?" She questioned as she swung the door open. "Where did you go?"

Lucas was about to answer but he faltered blinking hard a few times, his jaw dropped slightly as he took in the sight of Peyton. "Wow. You look amazing." He informed her, his voice growing husky from the mere vision of her. She wore that dress to perfection and Lucas could swear he felt his heart flutter when she sent him a shy smile.

"Thank you." She softy whispered. "You look good too." She complimented his attire. And he did look good, really good. He wore dark blue jeans and a plain white button up with a forest green v-neck sweater over it. His hair was gelled in its usual flawless-looking messy style. He had also cleaned up the scruff on his face a little. Peyton thought he looked sexy as hell. "I've been looking for you. Where did you go?" She asked once more.

Lucas smiled. "Nowhere." He responded. "I'm here to escort you on our first date. Thought I'd make it official and all." He added letting Peyton know why he was waiting at the door in the first place. "And I also went to get these for you." A bouquet of flowers suddenly appeared from behind his back. "For you." He spoke surrendering them over to Peyton.

Peyton reached out for them and smiled. It was a bouquet of sunflowers. "My favorite. I love them, thank you." She thought that it was incredibly sweet that he had gone through all the trouble to pretend like this was a first date, which it kind of was she guessed. "I'll go put these in water and then we can go." She announced taking a step back and turning on her heels heading for the kitchen.

Lucas followed after her, taking the opportunity that Peyton couldn't see him, to allow his eyes to roam over every inch of her body. She looked absolutely fantastic and if it were up to him right now, he'd ditch the whole date, push her up against the wall this very instant and ravage those lips of hers until he left her a whimpering mess. Lucas briefly wondered if she would be completely opposed to the idea before quickly dismissing his thoughts. He had to get through this date first and he was determined for everything to go well, because whether she was ready or not, he _was_ going to kiss Peyton before the night was over.

* * *

They had arrived arm in arm at the Neue Galerie around 4:15 in the afternoon. It would give them enough time to explore the museum and enjoy an early dinner before they had to arrive at their next destination. The next destination on the agenda would be whatever Peyton had selected out of the bowl and she had been adamant that they had to be there no later than 7:00pm, which is why their date was starting in the middle of the afternoon. The two definitely had a long day ahead of them, but both were looking forward to it.

Located on 86th Street and Fifth Avenue, the Neue Galerie New York Museum is a museum solely committed to displaying early twentieth-century German and Austrian works between 1890 and 1940. The museum housed a small collection of paintings, sculptures, works on paper, decorative arts and photographs. It was way out of Peyton's comfort zone, well at least out of the comfort of the 19 year old version of Peyton, who wasn't well-versed in this area of art. Though Lucas had assured her that she had never been here before, so it really was a brand-new experience for the both of them and Peyton was up for the challenge. She was curious to see whether or not the art pieces inside would speak to her.

After entering the lobby they stood on line for a few minutes to purchase their tickets. When their turn came, Lucas paid for their tickets and collected the complementary audio guides that were included with purchase. They dropped their winter coats off at the coat check and then proceeded to the second floor of the building to begin their tour of the place.

Using the audio guides to show them the way, the second floor of the museum displayed Venetian works, while the third floor focused on German art. Together they took their time exploring the galleries, pausing to discuss whenever they came across a piece of art work that caught their attention. At some point during their self-guided tour, Lucas had reached for Peyton's hand lacing their fingers together. Peyton responded automatically tightening her hold over his hand and shifted closer to his body as they continued their walk-through hand in hand. When they were finished they returned to the main floor, making a point to return the audio guides and retrieve their coats.

"Let's go eat." Lucas said.

Peyton nodded in agreement. She reached out locking their hands together once more as she allowed Lucas to lead her towards the direction of Café Sabarsky. There was a long line at the café, but luckily they'd had the foresight to make a dinner reservation ahead of time and were seated quickly. Despite it being a café, it was quite elegant and had a very old school European look to it. The café had been modeled after Viennese cafés from that time period and the menu reflected that as well. Peyton's favorite part of the café was the grand piano situated in a corner of the room, which she later learned was used sometimes for classical performances.

They looked over the menu together deciding to pick out a few plates they could share. Peyton immediately suggested the Crabmeat Salad as one of their appetizers, though Lucas had to gently remind her that she couldn't have that due to her allergy. Lucas couldn't help but laugh when he witnessed the adorable pout on her lips form as she mumbled something about how unfair life was. In the end they skipped the salad and went straight into the main courses. They ended up selecting the Hungarian Beef Goulash with Fresh Herbed Spätzle, the Green Asparagus with Fingerling Potatoes & Hollandaise with Smoked Salmon, and finally they completed their meal with the Smoked Bratwurst Stuffed with Cheddar Cheese. To accompany their meal, Lucas had chosen a half bottle of Blaufränkisch, a red wine hailing from Austria's Burgenland region.

"So what was your favorite out of what we saw today?" Lucas questioned as they sipped on their wine while they waited for their food to be brought out.

"Definitely the Lady in Gold painting." She quickly replied. "Though it's obviously the main attraction here. That security guard mentioned that it's the real reason most people come to visit the museum and I can see why, it really is beautiful. Also that lapis lazuli necklace on display was absolutely stunning. I could totally rock it." She teased. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I liked that gold painting as well, but to be honest most of it was over my head." He admitted. "I didn't really get it."

Peyton nodded. "Yea I think for this collection in particular you really have to have a specific interest in this time period and region, but I still enjoyed myself. It's always nice to do something different every now and then. The only artist I was vaguely familiar with beforehand is the Lady and Gold guy Gustav Klimt. He's most famous for this painting called The Kiss, it's done in a very similar style as his painting here. It also has this super romanticized feel to it."

"Never heard of it."

"Here I'll show you." Peyton pulled out her phone and did an image search for the painting. "See?" She said leaning in closer to show Lucas her phone.

Lucas observed the image. "I see what you mean. Is it in New York? We could go see it some time." He suggested.

Peyton frowned. "Sadly no, it's in a museum in Vienna."

"Oh." Lucas replied. "Hey but the audio guide also mentioned that there's another painting he did with the same Lady in Gold woman. It's at the MOMA, we can definitely go check that one out." He offered.

Peyton smiled. "I'd like that." She could tell Lucas really wasn't into the whole art thing like she was, but it was endearing to her that he cared enough. "But on our next date we should do something that you love instead." She reasoned.

Lucas smirked. "Well aren't you presumptuous in assuming there's even going to be a second date." He said teasingly. "I don't recall agreeing to another date. I mean it's been nice and all, but I'm the kind of man that likes to explore all the options available to him."

"Your loss then." She playfully flipped her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "I see plenty of other potential bachelors for me at that table over there." She motioned to the large round table where there was a group of men, who were obviously well into their 60's, busy enjoying their coffee and speaking in a different language.

Lucas turned his head back skeptically glancing over at where Peyton had indicated. He tried his hardest to keep a straight face. One of the men at the table noticed Peyton staring, he waved at the blonde and even went as far as to send her a wink.

"Ha! Look at that, I've found myself a new boyfriend in under a minute." She eagerly waved back at the cute looking older man that reminded her of her grandfather. "He's so hot." She teased. "And he totally flirted with me."

Lucas turned back around and shook his head at her. "I'm pretty sure he uses a walker."

"He so wants me." She carried on completely ignoring Lucas' last comment.

"There's an oxygen tank attached to his walker." Lucas dryly pointed out.

"I love oxygen, can't live without it."

Lucas laughed. "So apparently you've developed some sort of fetish for the elderly now?"

"Love knows no bounds Lucas." Peyton insisted. "I wouldn't let something so trivial as age get in the way of true love, you non-believer."

"Well I hate to break it to you, but it looks like you guys just broke up." Lucas pointed out as he observed an older woman take a seat next to Peyton's new boyfriend. "It was nice while it lasted though."

Peyton nodded as she observed the elderly couple embrace. "We had a good run." She mused. "I'll cherish the simple moments we had together. The way he waved at me from across the room? You just don't forget something like that. He'll be missed."

Both Peyton and Lucas eyed each other before cracking up.

Their food arrived shortly and they wasted no time diving in.

"So how was that night out with the girls?" Lucas wondered. "Did you have fun?"

Peyton nodded. She swallowed down a bite of the goulash before responding. "Yea it was nice. We just mostly gossiped I guess. Brooke talked about the twins and Haley talked about life back home at Tree Hill."

"And what did you talk about?"

Peyton smiled, slightly blushing. "You may or may not have been a topic of discussion." She timidly admitted.

"Is that so?" Lucas grinned, his chest puffing out a bit. "Anything you care to share?" He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Peyton released a low chuckle. "Haley is very protective of you."

Lucas instantly deflated. "Oh god she didn't get mean did she?" He groaned. "She tends to get a little carried away, but it's all from a good place I swear. I hope she didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

Peyton shook her head. "Not at all. She's just looking out for you. I get it. It's what best friends do." She reassured him. "She really loves you. It's important to have people like that in your life."

"It sure is." Lucas finished the last of his wine. "You wanna get another bottle?"

Peyton shook her head. "I'm pacing myself." She replied. "Something tells me we won't be shy with alcohol this evening."

Lucas laughed. "You may have a point."

* * *

After dinner they still had enough room in their bellies to indulge in dessert and ordered the Apple Strudel, and Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake off the menu. By the time they finished polishing off their desserts it was nearing 6:30pm, so they hustled out of the museum as quickly as possible and jumped in a cab heading west towards the Hudson River. Luckily traffic was light on the west side this evening and they arrived at their destination with ten minutes to spare.

"Why are we at Chelsea Piers?" Lucas questioned after they had slipped out of the cab.

"Because we're going on a motherfucking boat!" She grinned pointing out to the cruise ship sitting less than 100 yards away from them.

"Sightseeing on the water?" He guessed not thinking it was a bad idea at all. It could be very romantic.

"Nah, booze cruise!" Peyton jumped up excitedly.

Lucas laughed in disbelief. There was absolutely nothing romantic about a booze cruise. "Brooke?" He guessed.

"Brooke." She confirmed. "Now hurry up we gotta board, boat leaves at 7pm!" She gripped his arm and tugged him along.

"Yea this is definitely Brooke." Lucas mumbled to himself.

They quickly boarded the ship as Peyton handed over the printed out tickets she had purchased online ahead of time. A green neon colored wristband was secured over their left wrists.

"So the cruise is two hours long and these little guys…" Peyton gestured at her wristband. "…guarantee us open-bar access." She explained. "So let's get our money's worth handsome."

Smiling, Lucas placed an arm around Peyton's petite shoulders pulling her close and escorting her to the ship's bar. While they waited for their drinks Peyton wrapped her arm around his back resting her head over his shoulder. Lucas placed a light kiss on the top of her head.

"I bet I can out drink ya." She joked her eyes looking up as his.

"I have no doubts about that you little alcoholic. I honestly don't know where you put it all away." He teased. He was well aware of Peyton's ability to handle her liquor. It took a lot more liquor for her to get drunk than the average person. "I mean look at you, you're practically all skin and bones."

"Yet you'll still be on the floor way before me Scott."

Lucas smirked. "Is that a challenge?"

"Duh, where have you been during this whole conversation?" She playfully stuck out her tongue before turning her way back towards the bar. "Can we get two whiskey gingers?" She called out to the bartender while she held her and Lucas' left wrists high up in the air. The bartender quickly nodded preparing their drinks and sliding them down the bar towards them. "Cheers." Peyton held up her drink.

"Cheers." Lucas repeated before they touched glasses and downed their drinks in record time.

Peyton ordered two more. Once they had their refills in hand, they retreated from the bar and decided to go explore the ship. In addition to the open bar, a wide assortment of hors d'oeurves were being served. The lower deck of the ship contained a large dance floor, where a DJ booth was setup playing music. Since neither of them were hungry and weren't nearly drunk enough to start dancing yet, they decided to slip their coats back on and headed onto the outer deck to enjoy the panoramic views of the city. The entire city was lit up to perfection and Peyton took the opportunity to snap several pictures of the NYC skyline with her phone. She took a few pictures of Lucas as well as few selfies of them.

"Hold still." Lucas ordered as the Brooklyn Bridge came into view behind Peyton. She posed letting him snap a few pictures of his own. "Perfect."

By this point both of them were already four drinks in and riding on a minor buzz. "I need another drink." Peyton said showing him her empty glass. He looked down at his own drink that was only halfway empty. "Time is money Scott, chop, chop, drink, drink." She looped her arm around his dragging him back inside the ship. Figuring they probably weren't going back outside Lucas went to drop off their coats at the coat check, while Peyton took care of getting them another round of drinks. Ten minutes later he found Peyton at a small table near the bar with a few other people.

"Lucas!" Peyton hurriedly waved him over the second she caught sight of him.

"Hey." He greeted Peyton. She was standing at the table with three other girls and two guys.

"I made us new friends." She told him. "Everyone this is Lucas!" A round of hellos were exchanged. "Oh Luke you missed the shots!" Peyton giggled. "You took too long!" She said pouting. "You have to catch up. Here I got you another drink." She shoved the drink into his hands.

"So how do you two know each other?" One of the girls in the group asked, she was a brunette.

"Oh Lucas is my husband. We're actually on a date tonight."

Lucas jaw dropped. He glanced over at Peyton completely stunned that she had just introduced him as her husband. She had been so casual about it too.

"Oh that's so sweet." The same girl replied. "Your wife was just telling us about what it's like to be a professional roller derby player.

"I'm sorry she what?" Lucas said confused. It earned him a hard nudge on his side from Peyton's elbow.

"They asked me what I did for a living." Peyton said sweetly before turning to face Lucas. She shot him a hard look while mouthing at him to play along. A look of amusement formed on Lucas' face as he waited for Peyton to proceed. "So like I was saying…" For the next ten minutes Peyton created this elaborate story revolving how she got her start at playing roller derby on a professional level. It was kind of scary at how flawless she was at weaving this story together out of thin air. The group was hanging on her every word. "…turns out I had dislocated it upon impact, but I didn't even realize it until they pulled me up and I saw my arm, bone tore right through the skin." She finished off dramatically.

"Gross." Someone commented.

"That sounds awful." Another person added.

Peyton nodded. "You guys don't even know the half of it." She said in a serious tone. "Roller derby is no joke. I'm risking my life out there guys."

Lucas couldn't take it anymore he had been fighting the urge to laugh and was coming close to cracking.

"Dude your wife is a bad ass." One of the guys told Lucas.

Lucas stifled his laugh under a poorly produced fake cough. "Yea she sure is something." He voice cracked. "How many shots have you had Peyt?" He was curious.

"Three."

Well that explained it.

"Let's go get you some water. It was nice meeting you all." Lucas grabbed Peyton by the arm and pulled her forward away from the table.

"Nice meeting you all!" Peyton loudly called out waving goodbye. "Wait I left my drink at the table!" She told him as she attempted to get away from Lucas' grip.

"I'll get you another one." He kept pulling her along instead. He had absolutely no intention of getting her another drink.

"You weren't really serious about the water were you?" Peyton pouted as a glass of water appeared in Lucas' hands. "Because this is a booze cruise Lucas and there's no water in alcohol…or is it there's no alcohol in water?" She paused in thought. "I think I just confused myself." She started to laugh.

"Oh yes miss roller derby queen, I'm dead serious." He handed her the water. "What was that by the way? And how do you know so much about professional roller derby."

Peyton shook her head at him. He was so gullible. "I don't. I made the whole thing up as I went. I was practically talking out of my ass. I don't know shit about roller derby, but they were drunken 21 year old college students who didn't know any better. I thought it would be fun to mess with them, which I guess is kind of mean considering they gave me free shots of the good stuff." Peyton laughed hysterically and pretty soon Lucas was joining her.

"Color me impressed." He had been laughing so hard that tears had escaped from his eyes. He wiped them cleaned. "Be honest how drunk are you right now?"

"On a scale of one to ten…I'm like a 5.5 on the tipsy scale. I've got a lot more drink left in me. And we…" She pulled out her phone to check the time. "…still have an hour left of boozing to do." She grinned. "So just to ease your mind I'll finish this glass of water, but then we're switching back to whiskey. Deal?"

Lucas smirked. "Deal." What the hell? It wasn't like he drank heavily on a daily basis anyway. "I'll get the drinks. You finish that water." He instructed before disappearing towards the bar.

* * *

As the hour passed Lucas had lost count of how many drinks they had consumed between the both of them. It had definitely been…a lot. More than enough on his end, but Peyton kept downing them like a champ and she refused to drink without him. So now he was pretty drunk – he wasn't slurring his words or stumbling about or anything, but things were beginning to get a little…hazy. It wasn't even 9:00pm yet so Lucas was able to convince Peyton in halting their drinking for the moment, otherwise there was no way they'd make it through the rest of their evening, and he'd be lying if he wasn't super excited to see Peyton's reaction to their next destination. Peyton agreed to stop and they had been sipping on water for the last 15 minutes. The boat would be docking soon and they'd have to quickly find a cab if they wanted to make it to the next place on time.

Although he had been skeptical at first, Lucas couldn't deny that the booze cruise had ended up being a lot of fun. The atmosphere on the ship – not to mention the alcohol – had really managed to loosen up any remaining awkwardness between them. As the evening wore on the flirting between the two had kicked up and the moments were rare where they hadn't been touching each other in some form. Sometimes they were holding hands, sometimes it was hugging, and many times Peyton's hand would linger on his bicep, or Lucas would find his hands gently placed over her hipbone as they chatted. All the attention Peyton was sending his way this evening had been well received. Lucas was soaking it up and craved more of it as the night went on. Peyton Sawyer was his drug of choice and she always would be.

They had made their way down to the dance floor, but had mostly kept to a corner discussing random topics as they observed drunk people stumble about on the dance floor. They already had plans to go dancing later on tonight so they figured it was best to save their energy.

"Oh my god!" Peyton said suddenly. "I totally forgot I have the most perfect song that needs to be played on this ship before we go."

"What song?"

"It's a surprise." She winked leaving him behind and making a mad dash towards the DJ booth to request her song.

A few minutes later _I'm On A Boat_ by The Lonely Island featuring T-Pain started playing through the speakers and the crowd on the dance floor nearly lost their shit and started singing along loudly.

 _Aw shit, get your towels ready it's about to go down (shorty, yeah)_ _  
_ _Everybody in the place hit the fucking deck (shorty, yeah)_ _  
_ _But stay on your motherfucking toes_ _  
_ _We running this, let's go_

 _I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)_ _  
_ _Everybody look at me_ _  
_ _'Cause I'm sailing on a boat (sailing on a boat)_ _  
_ _I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat_ _  
_ _Take a good hard look at the motherfucking boat (boat, yeah)_

Peyton came running back and hastily yanked him on the dance floor.

"You did not pick this song." Lucas spoke through laughter. It was the song from an old SNL digital short.

"Uh yea I did." She said looking smug. "Is it not the perfect song in this situation?"

Lucas nodded agreeing. "Too perfect."

Peyton threw her hands up in the air and began singing along with the crowd. "But this ain't Sea World, this is real as it gets. I'm on a boat motherfucker, don't you ever forget!"

I'm on a boat and, it's going fast and  
I got a nautical themed Pashmina Afghan  
I'm the king of the world on a boat like Leo  
If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me-oh

Get the fuck up, this boat is real!

Fuck land, I'm on a boat, motherfucker (motherfucker)  
Fuck trees, I climb buoys, motherfucker (motherfucker)  
I'm on the deck with my boys, motherfucker (yeah)  
This boat engine make noise, motherfucker

Peyton couldn't stop smiling. She was having so much fun tonight with Lucas. She kind of never wanted the night to end. She quickly paused to take out her phone. Peyton threw an arm over Lucas leaning close so they could take a couple of selfies with the crowd dancing behind them. She took one last shot leaning even closer and planting a kiss on his cheek taking Lucas completely by surprise. When they parted Lucas was sporting a goofy grin that made her laugh. She grabbed him by the arms shaking him lighting, urging him to sing along. Though he was familiar with the song, it didn't seem like he knew the words very well. "Sing with me!" She urged him.

Lucas smiled and reluctantly gave in joining her just in time for the final chorus of the song. "I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat. Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat. I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat. Take a good hard look at the motherfuckin' boat!"

"That was awesome." Peyton stated her smile still in place.

"You're kind of awesome." Lucas told her. His hand went to her face, his thumb stroking softy at her left cheek. He wanted to kiss her now and Lucas was pretty sure Peyton was thinking along the same lines when her eyes closed as he continued to stroke her cheek and she leaned in closer.

But the song ended and a collective groan erupted from the crowd as the DJ announced that the ship had docked and kindly asked the ship's guests to collect their personal belongings and disembark in a timely fashion.

The unwelcomed interruption effectively killed the mood. Lucas stroked her cheek once more before letting his hand fall. She looked disappointed when he had pulled away.

The moment may have passed, but the night was far from over.

* * *

Okay so a lot going on in this chapter and part II of the Leyton date continues on in the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it.

So when I initially began drafting the date chapter, I wanted to do a very Leyton kind of date that tailored around their specific interests, but that ended up getting pretty boring rather quickly, and so I scratched that and decided to shake things up. I kept my original idea of them visiting an art museum and having dinner. I still wanted there to be a section of the date where they could actually talk and have zero distractions, so that worked out perfectly. The booze cruise was intended to get them to loosen up and have fun - the rest of the night will be like this as well. I also wanted to thank all of your suggestions for date night as well! You guys are the best.

If anyone is curious about Peyton's date night dress, there is a link in my profile. And just in case anyone is unfamiliar with the Saturday Night Live digital short: I'm On A Boat featuring Andy Samberg and company, then you were probably thinking what the hell was that last scene? So I suggest that if you haven't ever seen the video please do! It is hilariously ridiculous and as a result that moment in this chapter was intended to be so as well. The link to the video is in my profile. Technically I know Peyton isn't really supposed to remember this song because it came out in 2009 (one of her lost years), but since they were on a boat I just couldn't resist. Fun fact: I wrote that scene based on a personal experience of mine. The last time I was on a booze cruise, my friends and I decided it would be funny to request that song, and it is by far one of the most hilarious three minutes I have ever experienced on a dance floor because the crowd got really into it! So if you ever find yourself dancing on a boat, play that song guys. lol

Please review guys and until next time!


	17. Friday I'm in Love

Reviews

 **Mia** \- Yea I was totally all about having Leyton let loose and have some fun. They both needed a little less broodiness and a little more happiness.

 **Tpassions** \- Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well.

 **Katherine** \- You thought it was magical! You are too sweet. The trip to LA is coming! In t-minus two chapters.

 **jordana60** \- Thanks so much for such a thoughtful review! Besides flashback scenes, the date has by far been my favorite part of this story to write. I loved that you felt their connection steadily growing as the night went on. That was the entire point and it kicks into high gear in this chapter.

 **thibbs65** \- Awesome that you loved the booze cruise and the silliness of the song at the end! Thank you.

 **Guest** \- Ha thank you! I like to keep you guys on your toes! I think your anxiety problems will be resolved after reading this chapter.

 **Guest** \- Oh whoa, I definitely haven't thought that far ahead about Luke and Peyt making babies in this story, but hey you never know! If it fits with the storyline...

 **Guest** \- Glad you loved the first part of the date! Hopefully part two is able to deliver as well. The booze cruise was fun to think up and write, and totally such a B Davis move.

 **Guest** \- Thank you! Hope you like part 2 of the date!

* * *

You guys really seemed to enjoy the last chapter, so now I'm a little nervous about part two of the date. I hope it lives up to your expectations!

Just a fair **warning** the last scene of this chapter charters into rated M territory. It's not over the top graphic, but just a fair warning incase that's just not your cup of tea then feel free to skip. In fact I'm not sure if it's any good to be honest. I basically have no experience writing smut, so this is me testing the waters so to speak. I haven't decided yet if I will continue down this route as the story progresses - I guess that depends on you guys' reception. But if I do then I'll obviously change the story rating to M.

Title track for this chapter: 'Friday I'm in Love' by The Cure

* * *

Chapter 17: Friday I'm in Love

Peyton looked up reading the name of the building. "Hotel Chantelle?"

After the booze cruise they had hopped in a cab heading for the lower east side. Peyton turned her head to the right where Lucas was standing next to her. "Why a hotel?" She frowned in confusion. Hotels were for booking rooms and they had a perfectly good apartment back uptown. This had to be Brooke's scheming. Peyton raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Lucas grinned. "Relax. We're just going to the hotel bar in the lobby."

"Oh." Peyton replied. It was kind of tame compared to the cruise, but she decided to go with it. Lucas looked happy enough, so it must have been a really nice bar she guessed. "Alright handsome I'll let you buy me a drink then." Lucas held out his arm and she immediately took it.

They entered the hotel heading straight for the bar. Peyton was surprised by how packed it was. It wasn't just a few people here and there like she had expected, but there was an actual crowd and it was considerably large. They held hands as they weaved their way through the crowd, grabbing drinks at the bar before searching for any available seating. As expected all the tables were taken apart from this tiny table they found with one empty chair, it was clear that someone must have grabbed the second chair to go sit somewhere else.

Lucas offered her the seat, but Peyton immediately shook her head. "I'm fine. You sit." She told him.

"Sit." He commanded. "I'm not gonna sit down while you stand up, plus you have heels on."

"They're ankle boots. I think I can manage." She teased. "And what makes you think I wanna sit down while you stand." She argued back.

Lucas rolled his eyes. She could be so stubborn sometimes. "Fine." He grumbled pulling out the chair and sitting down quickly.

Peyton smirked proudly, but the smirk was cut short when Lucas abruptly grabbed Peyton pulling her down onto his lap. She yelped in surprise almost spilling her drink all over the both of them.

"Now we both have a seat." Lucas quipped copying the same exact smirk Peyton had been sporting only seconds ago. She looked at him completely stunned, her jaw dropping slightly. Lucas couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked so cute too. He had expected Peyton to quickly jump off from his lap, but she never did.

When the shock wore off she simply scoffed playfully shaking her head at him. "A little warning would have been nice. I almost lost my drink there and you know how much I hate wasting alcohol." She teased.

"Wasn't sure you'd be open to it."

Peyton took a sip from her drink before placing it on the small table beside them. "Pretty sure I've got the best seat in the house." She spoke gently as she slipped an arm around his shoulder. Her finger tips grazed over the nape of his neck.

Lucas swallowed thickly. He wrapped an arm around her lower back, his hand resting on her thigh. "I think you might be right about that." His spoke in a low voice.

Peyton lightly bit her bottom lip before releasing to smile. She felt the chills run up and down her spine. She was nervous, perhaps even slightly terrified. Peyton could have easily stood up if she wanted to, but honestly that was the last thing she wanted. Though she was beyond nervous, she found that distancing herself from Lucas was becoming a lot harder these days. Maybe it sounded a little selfish, but she liked his attentions and whatever affection he sent her way. It made her feel wanted – something that she desperately found herself needing more and more to fight off the loneliness that crept behind her much like a shadow would, every single day. Not to say that she was purely using Lucas just to make herself feel better. That wasn't the case at all. She had grown to have genuine feelings for him over the past month. Peyton found herself wanting this to work out. She just hoped Lucas was patient enough with her. It would take some time, but she did want to get there. Despite all this, Peyton seriously doubted she would have been sitting on Lucas' lap if they both weren't kind of drunk right now. Not that she was complaining here.

Peyton found herself tugging at her lower lip once more, those nerves kicking in again.

"Stop that." Lucas' thumb grazed underneath her bottom lip. "You're driving me crazy each time you do that."

Peyton felt her face grow hot, but she wasn't ready to back out just yet. "Well then maybe you should do something about it." Peyton said boldly. She could hardly believe that had just come out of her mouth, but it seemed to work. Lucas watched her carefully. His eyes would fall down to her lips, but they always retracted back up to meet her green ones. She bit her lip one more time waiting to see if he would take the bait. What was he waiting for?

Lucas' face inched closer to hers, the tips of their noses lightly grazing. "Believe me I plan on it…" He whispered.

Peyton could feel his warm breath across her lips.

"…when the time is right." Lucas finished. After a beat he pulled his face back from hers.

Peyton swallowed hard. She had never wanted someone to kiss her as badly as she wanted Lucas to right now. "Promise not to keep me waiting too long?"

Lucas' lips formed into a half smile of sorts. "I won't." He replied.

Peyton was about to say something else when the lights dimmed down. She looked up eyeing the ceiling suspiciously. "What the hell?" She questioned. "What's that about?" She looked back down towards Lucas.

"You'll see." He replied cryptically.

About a minute later a woman with dark hair dressed in a suit and tie and with a microphone in hand appeared in view as she began talking to the crowd and introduced herself. The crowd at the bar cheered excitedly.

"What's happening?" Peyton asked Lucas feeling impatient.

The woman with the microphone continued to address the crowd, amping them up some more before introducing the first performer of the night. The crowd cheered again.

So now she knew there was some kind of show going on. Peyton looked over at Lucas, who had refused to disclose anything. Music began to play and the noise from the crowd died down a little. The music playing had a very 1940s vibe to it. The announcer had disappeared and in her place was another woman. Her brown hair was pinned up decorated with flowers. She wore a deep red and black corset with a matching ruffled skirt that was cut short in the front, but cascaded down to the ground from the back. She also wore long stain gloves and high heels.

Peyton's face scrunched up. Now she was really confused, but as soon as the woman started dancing along to the music it immediately clicked inside her head. "Oh my god are we at a burlesque show?!" She screeched a little too closely to Lucas' ear. When the grin on Lucas' face confirmed it, Peyton roared with laughter. "Are you kidding me?!" She said still laughing.

She looked back over at the burlesque dancer, who by now had removed the satin gloves tossing them aside. She glided across the room shaking her hips seductively along to the music.

Peyton looked back over at Lucas who just smirked at her. Peyton shook her head at him playfully before returning to watch the show. The dancer continued to shimmy along to the music, when the music picked up she twirled around the room lifting her skirt up just a little as she teased the crowd.

Peyton whistled and cheered along with the crowd. "She's so gorgeous." Peyton commented though Lucas said nothing. "You don't think so?" She said with one eyebrow raised.

"Is this a trick question?" Lucas wondered. "Because I don't see this ending well for me."

Peyton chuckled. "It's okay if you think she's hot. I mean look at her!"

"She's…pleasant enough." Lucas finally said and left it at that. He wasn't completely stupid.

Peyton sniggered. "You're so cute. " She placed a kiss on his cheek.

By now the dancer had rammed up her performance. She had lost the skirt and the corset, and was dancing in tiny underwear that barely covered the very little skin that wasn't already exposed. She continued to twirl about pausing every so often to wink and blow kisses at the crowd. The music picked up some more gearing up for the big finale. In one fluid motion the dancer popped off her bra revealing the tassels underneath covering her nipples.

Peyton squealed in surprise. "You're much too young to be exposed to this Lucas Scott!" She laughed playfully covering Lucas' eyes with her hand.

Lucas laughed. "I thought you said it was okay if I thought she was hot." He teased.

"Ah ha! So you do think she's hot!" Peyton dropped her hand from his face.

"I plead the fifth." Lucas quickly muttered. "Anyway she's nowhere near as sexy as you."

Peyton smirked. "Except for the fact that I can't move anywhere near the way she does."

"Hmm." He paused in thought.

"What?"

Lucas winked at her. "Little do you know." He breathed out making Peyton immediately blush.

"I don't even want to know what that means." She told him sounding rather horrified.

Lucas grinned.

* * *

They watched two more burlesque dancers perform before they decided it was time to move along to the final stop of the night. It was nearing 11:00pm when they reached the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. Once a month the museum held a dance party in its Rose Center for Earth and Space. Each month different guest DJs played their sets, while a small part of the museum remained opened for exploration.

Much like everywhere else they had been tonight, the space was filled with people. "I can't believe this is an actual thing." Peyton commented hardly believing there was an enormous dance party happening in a museum of all places. "I've had so much fun tonight, pretty much the best date ever."

Lucas smiled and nodded. "I've been having a really good time too. I'm really glad we did this Peyton. I think we really needed tonight." After walking around a little they found an empty bench and decided to take a small break.

"I think so too." She replied agreeing with his statement. "By the way that last place…it was totally one of Brooke's ideas right?"

Lucas chuckled. "Actually no. It was one of my own."

Peyton pressed her lips together holding back a smile of disbelief. "What? No way." She said shaking her head. "That had Brooke written all over it." She countered.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I swear all me."

Peyton's lips parted slightly. "Is there something you wanna tell me?" She teased. "I mean how many times have you been there?"

"Only once before." Lucas replied. "With you." He added with a smile.

"We've been there before?"

Lucas nodded. "Our very first night in New York after moving here we had dinner at a restaurant across the street from the hotel. Before heading back to Brooke's for the night – we lived at Brooke's by the way until we found our place – anyway we decided to grab a drink before heading back and ended up at the bar in Hotel Chantelle."

"And let me guess it just happened to be burlesque night?" Peyton concluded.

"Yup and we had a lot of fun that night. It was kind of like this nice unexpected welcome to our new city. And you were practically beaming and laughing so hard that night. I hadn't seen you laugh that hard since…" Lucas paused. Bringing up Peyton's father was probably the last thing he should do on their date.

"Since before my dad died?" She saw the look of guilt written all over his face. Peyton knew the whole reasoned they had moved to New York in the first place was because she needed to get away from Tree Hill. She had been having a hard time getting over her father's death.

"Yes." He answered. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring that up. Here of all places during our date."

"It's okay." She reassured him. "But maybe we should talk about my dad another time. I don't want to spoil the rest of our night."

Lucas nodded. "I picked the last place because it just seeming fitting for our date in New York. I just wanted to bring back a piece of our first night here, even if you can't remember it right now."

Peyton smiled. "That's really sweet Lucas. It was the perfect pick even if that means you're a little bit of a pervert."

Lucas shook his head ignoring the comment and stood up. He extended a hand out to her. "You ready to get our dance on pretty lady?" Peyton nodded eagerly taking Lucas' hand as he pulled her up to her feet.

And for the next two hours that's exactly what they did. The DJs hit upon various genres of music throughout the night. At times they found themselves jumping around and making up silly dance moves together, but most of the time they were pressed up against one another moving their hips in sync along to the beat. Lucas was a really good dancer and Peyton sometimes had trouble keeping up with him much to her surprise. She had also been running around in these boots for several hours now, so she was getting tired.

"Did I forget to mention that you look really beautiful tonight?" Lucas whispered in Peyton's left ear. They were dancing along to a slower song now. Peyton had her hands wrapped around his neck, while Lucas had placed his hands on her hips.

Peyton grinned into his neck. "You might have mentioned it a few times over the course of the evening." She could feel his warm breath again, tickling her ear. The chills down her spine returned.

"Well you do and you look incredibly sexy right now too."

She giggled. "I'm a sweaty mess." She pointed out. In fact they both were from dancing in such a packed area. Her hair was a tangled mess and she was pretty sure her makeup had already started to sweat off. But honestly at this point she was too tired and drunk to care.

"Doesn't make you any less sexy." He replied. His lips still close to her ear.

Peyton pulled her face away from Lucas' neck to look up at him. When it started getting hot he had ditched the sweater he'd worn this evening. The top two buttons of his shirt had been undone and his hair was no longer in its original styled form, but unsurprisingly even with the sweat that clung to his face, Lucas still looked unbelievably good. If anybody looked sexy right now it was him. He still hadn't kissed her as promised and it was driving her mad. Then again why did she have to wait for him to kiss her? Why didn't she just fucking do it herself?

Because she was a fucking coward. That's why.

"You look tired." Lucas commented as he swept off some curls that had stuck to her sweaty forehead. "Should we get going?" It was almost one in the morning and the museum would be closing soon anyway.

Peyton nodded leaning into his touch. "My feet have gone kind of numb to be honest."

Lucas took her hand and led the way out. The cold air felt good against their overheated skin. Peyton stumbled outside a bit realizing just how drunk she really was. Lucas laughed as he held her steady. "I've got you." She giggled.

It took a while but they did manage to grab a cab and were walking inside the apartment less than 15 minutes later. The second the door was locked behind them Peyton pushed Lucas against the wall. However because she was drunk it wasn't exactly as graceful as she had envisioned in her head as she stumbled forward, but she ignored her embarrassment Lucas wasn't exactly sober either.

"I believe you made me a promise earlier tonight." She reminded him. "And the night is over now and you have yet to deliver Lucas Scott." She probably didn't look very sexy right now, but she still wanted that kiss.

Lucas sighed. He was trying his hardest not to break. Of course he'd been wanting to kiss her all night too and he was kicking himself with regret now that he hadn't done it earlier this evening. Peyton was too drunk now. He was too drunk now. He didn't want their first kiss since her accident to be some drunken hot mess. He wanted it to mean something. It was taking every ounce of willpower he had not to flip her over against the wall and ravish her. It was becoming much harder to resist with Peyton pressed up against him at this very moment with no distractions. At least at the dance party they were surrounded by people, so it had been much easier to resist temptation. He sighed again almost groaning. "The night isn't over just yet. I have a surprise for you in the kitchen." He informed her hoping to distract Peyton from what they both really wanted right now.

It worked. Peyton grinned from ear to ear. "I don't normally like surprises, but I'm kind of curious." She released another drunken giggle. She turned on her heels to head over to the kitchen. Instead she tripped, but Lucas was quick to catch her. "Okay so I'm kind of drunk." She admitted still giggling.

Lucas chuckled. "Let's get these off first." He pointed at her boots.

Peyton nodded in agreement as she held on to Lucas for balance, while he bent down and removed her shoes one by one. "I'm ready for my surprise now." She said when he was done.

"Yes bossy lady."

Peyton skipped over towards the kitchen, Lucas hot on her heels. He turned on the kitchen light before heading over to the kitchen table. There was a box sitting on the table.

Peyton squealed. "Is that what I think it is?" She said eyeing the box from Doughnut Plant.

"Thought you might like it." He grinned. "Figured we could do with a midnight snack when we got home tonight."

Peyton smiled hard remembering how Lucas had taken her to get doughnuts the same day she was released from the hospital. The doughnuts from Doughnut Plant were magical. "You did good Lucas Scott."

"Did I?" He smirked.

"So good." She jumped in his arms placing a quick peck on his cheek.

"I'll go get the milk." He said looking a bit dazed as he headed towards the fridge. Peyton really needed to stop touching him right now.

Peyton nodded. "When did you even have time to get these? I don't remember seeing them before we left."

"I asked Julian to pick them up and drop them off." He answered.

"Sneaky." She sat down and practically tore the box of doughnuts open. "Prepare yourself, as you are about to witness something pretty amazing Lucas because I'm about to kill this whole damn box." Peyton eyed all the doughnuts, her mouth pretty much watering with anticipation.

"What I don't even get one?" He scoffed playfully.

"Oh I'm sorry you didn't get a box for yourself?" She replied dramatically. "I thought you were smarter than that."

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – June 2009**_

" _Wait a second you dated Anna in high school? Felix's sister?" Peyton questioned. Lucas had just shared that he only had one serious girlfriend in high school and it had been Anna Taggaro._

 _As promised Lucas had taken Peyton to go see that NOFX cover band for their first date at some bar a few towns over. The live music had been dreadful – as expected – and so they had spent the evening sharing laughs and bonding over their taste in music. The band had finished their last set awhile ago, but since the bar was still open they had stayed and began discussing high school. Peyton had learned that the little blond boy from the café was actually Nathan Scott's son and even more surprising was the fact that Lucas and Nathan were no longer rivals. Things had sure changed in the last four years during her absence. She had heard that Nathan got married and got his high school girlfriend knocked up, but she hadn't seen Nathan since their high school graduation party. Her and Jake had moved out to LA shortly after that and she had only come back home for holidays and birthdays in the past four years._

 _Lucas nodded. "You knew her? I didn't know that."_

 _Peyton shook her head. "Not really, but Brooke did date her dickhead of a brother for a few years on and off."_

" _Yea that's right." Lucas said now remembering. He had never gotten along with Anna's older brother. Felix had tried his hardest to keep Anna away from Lucas in the beginning. He did give up eventually, but regardless Felix had never warmed up to Lucas._

 _Peyton paused suddenly in thought. "Wait you guys like really dated?" She frowned. "Isn't she like gay now?!" She blurted out. "That's what Brooke told me."_

 _Lucas' eyes widened looking absolutely mortified. "Yes." He barely mumbled out. "She came out not long after we broke up." He sighed._

 _Peyton started to laugh. "Wow you really rocked her world huh?" She teased._

" _How was I supposed to know?!"_

" _Dude you were like her beard."_

" _Well actually she's bi." Lucas defended. "At least that's what she told me when we broke up."_

 _Peyton's eyes widened. She was trying so hard not to laugh again. "Wow."_

 _Lucas rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "Why did I just tell you any of that?" He grumbled out loud to no one in particular. His job tonight was to woo Peyton, not humiliate himself. Apparently his brain had missed the memo._

 _Peyton giggled. "How long were you guys together for?"_

" _About a year."_

 _Peyton let out a whistle. "That's long time. And you had no idea?"_

 _Lucas shrugged. "She was in to me." He replied. "It wasn't like she wasn't committed to our relationship because she definitely was."_

" _So what happened?"_

" _Some girl from her old boarding school visited and they had been involved then. I guess there were still some lingering feelings there and she felt torn. She eventually told me. Sure I was completely blindsided and hurt at the time, but I wasn't gonna force her to stay with me. Neither one of us would have been happy. After we broke up I needed some space from her, but we eventually went back to being friends."_

" _Just like that? You could just go back to being friends?" Peyton questioned. Who was this guy? Clearly Anna had broken his heart. She never understood how some people could forgive that easily._

" _It took a while, but we had been together for a year. She had become one my best friends. I missed her and at the time she knew me better than anyone else, besides Haley of course."_

" _Do you guys still keep in touch?"_

 _Lucas shook his head. "Not really. There are maybe some facebook messages every now and then, but that's about it. I left for college and the following year when she graduated high school she took off to be together with that same girl. She hasn't been back since. She seems really happy though, so I'm glad for her."_

 _Peyton nodded._

" _So what happened with you and Jake then? Have you guys been done for a long time now?" Lucas wondered. Peyton had been asking him questions all night, but she hadn't shared much about her own personal life._

" _Almost a year now." Peyton offered up. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk about Jake. Sure she had dated a bunch since they parted ways, but she hadn't found someone she had really, really liked or made her ridiculously excited since._

 _Until now that is._

 _Peyton had actually been really looking forward to seeing Lucas again since that day in the café. They had talked on the phone a couple of times before meeting again – and not just like a quick chat – but had been on the phone for hours discussing all sorts of random things. It was all so comfortable between them, like she had known him all her life._

 _She found herself liking him more and more. And their date tonight had been going really well. Peyton had noticed that Lucas had seemed a little nervous during the beginning of the night, but he grew more confident as the night wore on. She was already looking forward to their second date – assuming he wanted to see her again, which she was pretty sure he did. Lucas had dropped a few subtle hints during the course of the night that made it clear this wouldn't be the last time she would be seeing him._

" _What happened if you don't mind me asking?"_

" _We just grew apart I guess…being together just stopped making sense. I don't think he was in love with me anymore towards the end."_

" _But you still were?"_

" _At the time yes, but looking back now I don't think I was anymore either. I guess I was more terrified of having to let go of us as a couple because we had been together for so long. It was more about that and less about losing him in general. You know you hear the phrase 'Peyton and Jake' so many times that it started to become impossible to see myself without the 'and Jake' attached. I didn't know who I was without Jake and that's what made letting go so much harder – for him too, not just me. It's not like he just gave up on us. He tried to make it work. We both did. We both just eventually got…tired of trying so hard. It was exhausting."_

" _And you guys still talk?" He wondered._

 _Peyton shook her head. "Not at all. The breakup was mutual and all, but it was still really hard. Senior year kind of sucked in the beginning, but whenever we did run into each other it remained friendly. It never got nasty between us. He did move on faster than I expected to be honest and way faster than I did, but I couldn't hold it against him. Jake's a good guy and he was a good boyfriend. Hating him wasn't going to make me feel better. I didn't want to be the bitter ex-girlfriend."_

 _Lucas felt for her, but he wasn't exactly devastated either. If they hadn't broken up then he wouldn't be sitting here right now with Peyton. If she was willing to give him a real shot then Lucas knew he could make her happy. Something in his gut was telling him that Peyton was it. She was the one he had been waiting for. Everything he was learning about Peyton so far he really liked. She was smart, witty, honest, beautiful and extremely talented._

" _Oh I love this song." Peyton exclaimed gleefully. 'Friday I'm in Love' by The Cure had started playing. It was one of Peyton's all time favorite bands._

" _So we should definitely dance." Lucas stated as he pulled Peyton up from her chair._

" _I don't think you can really dance to this song." She said giving him a weird look. The song was kind of slow to really dance to._

" _Sure you can." He said dismissively before he extended his arm and gave her a good spin around. He spun her around a few more times for good measure before pulling her close._

 _Peyton smiled brightly as they swayed to the music together. Pretty soon she had started to sing along as well._

" _You really like the Cure huh?" Lucas observed. It was obvious that music in general made Peyton extremely happy, but she had lit up the second the song played._

" _I love the Cure." She answered. "One of my favorite bands of all time."_

" _I kind of really don't like the Cure." Lucas confessed._

 _Peyton audibly gasped. "How can you not like the Cure?" She said in disbelief, her eyes glowering at him just a bit. Was he crazy?_

" _I find their music pretty depressive and whiney."_

 _Her eyes widened. "Boy you are so lucky Lucas Scott because had you told me that earlier I would have never agreed to go on this date with you. That could have been a total deal breaker for me."_

 _Lucas laughed._

" _So lucky." She repeated as she looped her arms around his neck as they continued to dance together._

" _Why do you love them so much?"_

 _Peyton took in a deep breath smiling. "Disintegration is my favorite Cure album. I remember the very first time I listened to it too. I remember the day, what I was wearing, the weather outside…everything. That album is the reason I fell in love with music and it changed my life."_

 _Now there was one more thing Lucas could add on to the list of things he liked about Peyton. She was passionate. "I can tell how passionate you are about music just by the way your face lights up when you talk about it. You think you'll go back to working in the music industry then?"_

" _I don't think I know how to do anything else." She replied instantly. "I don't want to do anything else."_

" _I really like that about you." Lucas complemented her. "You know what you want. I'm still trying to figure out my next move." He had already told her about his dreams of become a writer. He already had written a book too, but was still hesitant about reaching out to publishers. The book was very personal and he wasn't sure if he wanted to share it with the world._

 _Peyton scoffed. "Believe me I'm still trying to figure things out over here too. You're not alone on that boat." She reassured him._

 _Lucas smiled. "I like you Peyton." He blurted out unexpectedly. "I really like you." Lucas wanted her to know and make his intentions crystal clear. He thought it would have been harder to admit his feelings, but it actually came out a lot easier than expected. And he wasn't even a nervous wreck over it, which was ironic considering he had been crushing on the girl since the seventh grade and had never dared to make a move on her in the past. "I'd really like to keep seeing you."_

 _Peyton returned the smile. She liked Lucas too, but instead of telling him that she unexpectedly leaned forward capturing his lips. Something told her that he'd much preferred this type of response anyway than any words she could have told him._

* * *

Peyton startled herself awake. She sat up gasping a little for air. She switched on the lamp on the nightstand and then reached for the glass of water she had brought to bed that evening. After stuffing themselves with doughnuts, her and Lucas had parted ways for the evening and gone to bed.

After taking a long gulp Peyton placed the glass back on the table. "What just happened?" She whispered to herself. That dream had felt so real. She ran a hand through her hair feeling slightly distressed.

It had felt so real. Had it been real? Did that night between her and Lucas really happen?

She brushed her fingertips over her lips. That kiss in her dream had felt so real too. She could still feel the way Lucas' lips had moved against hers. The way he had wrapped one arm around her waist, while he had buried his other free hand in her hair. It all felt so eerily familiar. It couldn't have been just a dream? Could it?

Peyton checked the time on her phone. It was nearing 3am, no doubt Lucas was passed out already. She would have to wait until morning to ask.

Except she couldn't.

She really couldn't wait. Her mind was racing and she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now.

She had to know.

Peyton crept out of bed and padded down the hall towards the living room. Her head was pounding a little no doubt from the hangover that was sure to make an appearance later. Lucas was sound sleep as she predicted. He was sleeping on his stomach, one hand on his pillow, while the other was stretched out across the mattress. "Lucas." She softly called out. He stirred slightly, but remained asleep. Peyton huffed. She felt bad that she was about to wake him up. She turned on one of the living room lamps before crawling on to the sofa bed. "Lucas." She placed a hand on his shoulder lightly shaking him. "I need to talk to you."

Lucas shifted again in his sleep this time releasing a tired groan. He lifted his head from his pillow groggily looking around. "Peyton?" He whispered with squinted eyes after catching a glimpse of her.

"It's me." She confirmed.

"What's wrong?!" He immediately jolted up in a panic. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he spoke.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She rubbed his arm reassuring him.

"What's going on then?" He croaked after having been pulled out of a deep sleep.

"I'm sorry." She said giving him a sad smile. "It's just that something happened and I…I needed to know if it was real."

"If what was real? What are you talking about?"

"I had a dream Lucas."

"O-kay…" He was confused.

"I had this dream about us. We were at this bar talking and laughing, and then this Cure song comes on and you pull me up to dance and…" Her voice was trembling now. "And it felt so real." She had tears in her eyes by this point. "Was that real or am I all just making it up in my head? Was that moment real?"

Lucas swallowed hard. "Friday I'm in Love." He spoke.

"Huh?"

"Was that the song in your dream?" He questioned.

Peyton nodded immediately. "Yes. That's the one."

Lucas froze. He couldn't believe what his ears were hearing. "It was real." He whispered, his emotions taking over his own voice now. "It really happened."

"It did?" She released a teary laugh. "It's a memory?"

Lucas nodded. "Of our very first date. We saw that cover band and then we danced and then…"

"I kissed you." Peyton finished the sentence before Lucas could.

"You did." Lucas pressed his lips together painfully hard. "You really remember that Peyt?" He was breathing really fast now. His heart beating even faster.

"I do." She laughed again. "I wore a green dress and you had on a white shirt and…" She paused in thought. "…and khakis." She nodded remembering now. "Right?"

"Right." His voice cracked. He couldn't believe she actually remembered something about their past. "Baby you remembered something." He whispered in disbelief. "Come here." Lucas didn't wait for her to move, instead he grabbed her, pulling her close to his chest. "You remember." He repeated over and over again as he wiped away her fallen tears. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering there for a long time.

Peyton buried her face into Lucas' chest as she began to cry holding on to him tightly. "Hey why are you crying?" He whispered softly tilting her head up by the chin to look at him. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm happy." She promised. "I really thought I was gonna be stuck like this forever. Never really remembering you and my life."

"I'm happy too." He admitted. Hell he was ecstatic at this new revelation. It would only be a matter of time before more memories came flooding in. Until she was fully his again.

Lucas sighed. He had promised himself he would wait for the right moment to kiss Peyton again, but he couldn't wait anymore. His eyes fell to the necklace over Peyton's neck. He reached out with his fingers holding up the necklace. "Have you been wearing this the whole time?" He questioned. She was wearing her engagement ring and wedding band. How had he not noticed?

Peyton slowly nodded. "I put it on tonight." She answered somewhat timidly. "I was wondering when you would finally notice."

Lucas could have sworn his heart had jumped. He assumed it was Peyton's way of showing him that she was committed to improving their relationship. She wasn't afraid of getting close to him anymore. The small gesture had left him taken aback, but he was happy – it made him deliriously happy. She wanted this as much as he did, and boy did he want her. ' _Fuck it.'_ He thought before hastily grabbed her face and molding their lips together. She responded immediately clutching the collar of Lucas' t-shirt while she kissed him full force with opened mouth kisses.

"Is this okay?" He pulled back slightly after sucking on her bottom lip. His hands were still clutching the sides of her face.

"Are you kidding? I haven't done anything this week but think of kissing you." She confessed, her breathing heavy. "Should have done it sooner." Peyton mumbled against his lips and closed her eyes before diving in again.

Lucas sighed in relief, his lips wasting no time moving against hers. His hands moved away from her face and traveled south until they reached the small of her back and rested there. Peyton released a moan into his mouth the second Lucas' hands started to massage that area. Her hands traveled up to his hair and buried themselves there. She gave his hair a hard tug when he started sucking on her bottom lip again forcing her to release yet another moan. If she kept moaning like that Lucas was going to lose what little control he had left. Lucas swiped his tongue across her now swollen bottom lip. He got the reaction he was hoping for as Peyton parted her lips wider allowing his tongue access to hers. He slipped past her lips gently stroking his tongue against hers. Lucas observed that she tasted like mint toothpaste with a faint hint of whiskey. He took his time savoring the taste and the feel of her tongue over his own. Peyton's kisses were just exactly how he remembered them. He missed this. He missed her.

She was the first to pull away. Not because she wanted to stop, but she had ran out of air. Lucas observed her lips red and swollen as she panted heavily, drawing in several quick short breaths. Meanwhile his chest rose up and down in quick secessions as he attempted to regain his own breath. Peyton sent him a coy smile as she kept taking in more deep breaths. She felt so light-headed now from the kiss, her brain lacking much needed oxygen. This was 100 times better than the feeling she felt from kissing him in her dream. Her entire body tingled in anticipation.

The simple smile sent Lucas back into overdrive. He took another deep breath before locking their lips again. He then forcibly pushed Peyton down until her back hit the bed never breaking the kiss. He kissed her hard and deep before releasing her lips. Peyton gasped as Lucas trailed kisses down her chin to behind her ear and then down her neck. Her hands dug into his hair once more when she felt him sucking on her collarbone. She felt her skin growing hotter by the second.

Lucas was running his tongue across her chest now and she was panting heavily all over again. "Don't stop." She muttered encouraging his efforts. His hands had moved on to her hips, clutching them tightly. He was still towering over her, but she wanted him closer. She parted her legs creating a space for him. Lucas took the hint immediately moving in closer and pressing their bodies together. She went for his mouth again. Lucas happily obliged groaning as he felt Peyton's petite body wriggling underneath his. One of Lucas' hands remained at her hip, while the other one cupped the side of her face as he deepened the kiss between them. Both their tongues wrestling each other for dominance.

Peyton was still wriggling up against him and Lucas couldn't help but rock his own body back against hers. When their hips made contact they both released an audible moan breaking their lips apart. "You're so beautiful." He buzzed in her ear as he nibbled on her earlobe. "You have no idea how hard it's been not being able to kiss those lips I love so much or being able to just glide my tongue all over your warm skin." He told her just as he ran his warm tongue behind her ear.

Peyton's breathing began to pick up once more. The feeling of Lucas' tongue behind her ear caused an involuntary shudder as her lower back arched up lifting her hips back up to meet his. "Oh god." She whispered as she felt that familiar warm tingly feeling start to develop in her lower belly. She rocked her hips again creating that friction between them that she desperately wanted all of a sudden. Before she could stop herself, she had lifted her right leg up hiking it over Lucas' hip, pressing him even closer against her pelvic area. She could feel Lucas clench his teeth against her neck and mutter out a curse as she continued to rotate her hips against his.

Their pace increased steadily as they experimented with different angles wanting to increase the sensation. There wasn't much fabric between them as she had gone to bed this evening wearing tiny thin silk shorts and Lucas was sporting his usual basketball shorts. Peyton gasped loudly when Lucas hit the perfect spot creating a delicious friction against her tiny bundle of nerves. "Shit." She gasped again when he tilted his hips to meet that very same spot again. Her hands ran down over his back repeatedly, aggressively tugging at the back of his shirt as her moans increased from the pleasure.

Peyton closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the mattress as Lucas took the opportunity to attack her neck again. Her skin was on fire now, her panting growing heavy with each passing moment. She could tell Lucas was in no better shape than she was right now. His breath was hot and heavy against her neck and the groans escaping from his lips were getting louder and louder. "You're so fucking beautiful." She could hear Lucas whisper in a husky tone sending immediate chills throughout her body. Lucas rocked his hips harder this time against hers. "I've missed you like this." Lucas continued to tell her. "Underneath me just like this loosing complete control. Every little noise that comes out of your mouth just gets me so hard for you." His hand on her hip tightened keeping her still as his pace quickened once more. "Tell me you want me." Lucas commanded as Peyton gasped again her eyes practically rolling to the back of her head. She was so close right now, dancing dangerously right over the ledge. He just needed to keep it up a bit more so she could fall right over. "Tell me you need me." Lucas urged her.

"I want you." Peyton managed to pant out. She could barely breathe at this point. "And I need you so badly. I'm so close Lucas." She added as she dug her nails into his back for support. "So close."

Lucas left Peyton's neck to claim her lips once more. He tugged at her bottom lip hard before slipping his tongue inside her mouth earning another moan from her. Their hips continued to feverishly jerk against one another at a rapid pace. Peyton couldn't understand how unbelievably good this was feeling right now. Lucas hadn't slipped even a finger underneath her shorts and yet here she was coming undone by simply rubbing their clothed bodies together. A thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead and her vision was becoming blurred.

It took a couple more thrusts before Peyton finally reached her peak and fell into her orgasm, which she welcomed happily. Her hips jerked a few more times as Lucas helped her ride it out as long as possible. Her vision had gone white and her head felt so light that she felt like her body was practically floating on air. She closed her eyes shut and smiled in satisfaction as she caught her breath.

When her vision returned she looked up to see Lucas still towering over her. She laughed and tilted her lips up giving him a quick peck. "That was amazing." She said giggling once more. "You barely touched me." She whispered.

Lucas gave her a lazy smile. He pressed their lips together once more before rolling off her. Peyton immediately turned to her side placing her head on Lucas' chest, while her right hand sat over his abdomen. The thin t-shirt he wore clung to his slightly sweaty chest. Lucas held her tightly as they laid there in a comfortable silence.

"I can't believe you don't like the Cure." Peyton exclaimed in an outrage suddenly breaking the silence a few minutes later. She had just remembered that part of her dream.

Lucas roared in laughter, his whole body shaking almost violently. "I delivered you a top notch orgasm only moments ago and that's the part you choose to focus on?" He said incredulously.

"You don't like the Cure!" She defended. "It's kind of a big deal. I mean how did you manage to trick me into marrying you if you can't even appreciate one of my favorite bands?"

"You are unbelievable." Lucas said rolling his eyes.

Peyton laughed. "How bout you kiss me again instead?" She offered as she lifted her face off his chest to look up at him sweetly.

"Now that I can do." Lucas gently cupped her face delivering a passionate kiss. It didn't last long however because Peyton pulled away abruptly. "What's wrong?" He questioned as he leaned over attempting to recapture her lips.

Peyton frowned at him. "I just realized that you didn't finish." She had been floating on her own orgasmic high that she has been remiss in making sure Lucas got off as well.

Lucas shook his head brushing off her comment. "I'm fine."

"Liar." Peyton replied delivering another frown. Those basketball shorts he was wearing were not thick enough to conceal anything. She had felt every hard inch of him pressed up against her lady business the entire time they had been dry humping each other. "Here it's your turn." She told him as she reached for the waistband of his shorts.

He slapped her hands away. "Really babe I'm fine." He reassured her.

"You're being ridiculous." She huffed going for his shorts again.

Lucas grabbed both of her wrists to stop her. "I'm fine. I promise."

"Why won't you let me touch you?" She asked, her sharp tone implying her annoyance.

"Because what just happened between us isn't about that. I just wanted to make you feel good."

"And now I wanna make you feel good. What's the problem?"

"I don't want you to feel obligated to do that. Technically my plan was just to kiss you and I guess I got a little carried away." He confessed. "I know things are still really new for you when it comes to our relationship." He released his hold on her wrists.

"I don't feel pressured by you if that's what you're implying Luke. I really don't." She told him honestly as she pulled back her hands.

"Regardless we don't have to go there tonight Peyton. There will be plenty of opportunities for those sort of activities down the road."

Peyton raised an eyebrow. "What kind of activities?" She teased playfully as she ran her fingers up over his chest. "Enlighten me."

Lucas scoffed. "Google it." He quipped.

Peyton pouted.

"Now if you don't mind all I want to do is kiss the shit out of my wife right now."

Peyton smirked. "Oh is that so?"

"Hell yes." Lucas replied. "It's been two months and I plan on making up for lost time, so shut up and makeout with me already." He commanded.

"Yes sir." Peyton obeyed sending Lucas a playful salute before she jumped on those perfect lips of his. She suddenly pulled back again causing Lucas to release a frustrated groan.

"What is it now?" He said clicking his tongue irritably.

Peyton smiled keeping his face close to hers. "No more couch okay?" She whispered. "I don't want you sleeping out here anymore without me. Just the bed in our room from now on okay?"

Lucas grinned. "No more couch." He repeated carefully. "Just the bed in our room."

"You can kiss me now." She said waiting.

"Come here beautiful." Lucas mumbled claiming her lips yet again, as he would continue to do so several more times throughout the night.

* * *

Peyton finally recovered a memory and Leyton got a little physical. Are we excited? I know I am!

And so Lucas and Peyton's date has come to an end. They watched some dancing, did a little dancing of their own and stuffed their faces with dessert! In case anyone is curious, all the places and things that happened on Leyton's date are all 100% real things you can do in NYC. In fact basically every location I have mentioned in this story are all real places. If you haven't figured it out yet I am a New Yorker, born and raised. So it's been fun getting to write about some of the amazing things you can do on a night out here!

Coming up next: The morning after, plus Leyton spends some time apart :(

As always thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and please, please review guys! I love hearing from you so please keep them coming!


	18. Don't You Go

Reviews

 **ktlynrose** \- Highly encourage you to visit New York, it's the best! Granted I am completely bias on the matter... And yes Lucas and Peyton head to LA in the next chapter! I know it's been a long wait but we're almost there!

 **thibbs65** \- Yay you loved the ending! Good. I was a bit nervous about it.

 **Tpassions14** \- I'm glad you were totally surprised, that's what I aim for!

 **jordana60** \- I made you forget about the reunion! Really? Haha that's kind of funny, since I know you've been waiting for the reunion to happen! Yes Leyton spends a little time apart in this chapter, but not by choice. So don't worry they're still in a good place right now.

 **itsnjm1** \- Zero awkwardness in this chapter I promise! Peyton would have never gone there if she hadn't been comfortable to begin with.

 **Guest** \- Best chapter so far?! Awesome! Peyton going after what she wants is the BEST and even in her most vulnerable moments Peyton manages to tell it like it is, which is one of the things I love so much about her character on the show. Even at her weakest she's strong, never the pushover. She's stubborn as hell, but at least she knows what she wants out of life. And yay for a memory returning, it was time! I think I had stalled enough on that front.

 **Guest** \- Haha, well it's funny because for some reason every single time I imagined the kissing scene between Lucas and Peyton, I couldn't just leave it at a kiss. I did try that at first, but for some reason it just felt very unsatisfactory for me - maybe it's because in this story they're married and already have this long history (both emotional and physical), and plus they're adults in their late 20s - but a simple kiss just wasn't cutting it for me. This wasn't a first kiss between two strangers on a first date, at least not for Lucas and I couldn't picture him holding back completely after two months for not being able to be with his wife. So anyway I'm glad you were pleasantly surprised that their moment didn't end with just a kiss. :p

 **Guest** \- Lucas and Peyton are my all time favorite OTH couple, it's kind of sad that there really aren't that many Leyton fics roaming around these days. Brucas seems to be the more dominant of the two around here. Initially I was actually hesitant about even bothering to write this story because I didn't think there would be enough interest due to that fact. So I'm super happy to read that you love that I'm writing this Leyton fic! Thank you! I too wish I could update faster, but unfortunately I can't just pop out these chapters in one sitting - they take time - which is why I try to make them longer for you guys to enjoy. But you guys have been getting a new chapter every 8-9 days, so the wait isn't too bad I hope!

* * *

So it seems like many of you were pleasantly surprised with how the last chapter ended, which is a huge relief for me! Sounds like sexy times between Lucas and Peyton was well approved, so I think I will keep playing around with those types of scenes, as long as the flow feels natural to the story. I wouldn't want to write smut just for the sake of writing it, especially when I'm still finding my groove in that area of writing. I was nervous not only that the scene wasn't well written, but also that maybe readers would have felt that it came out of nowhere or too soon for Leyton, but judging off those who took the time to review, that doesn't seem to be the case at all, which is good!

Titled track for this chapter: 'Don't You Go' By Josh Kelley

* * *

Chapter 18: Don't You Go

Her eyes blinked several times before she could open them wide as the sleep drifted away from her body. Peyton released a low yawn and sighed. She was nicely tucked underneath Lucas' comforter and she could feel his warm skin pressed up against her as he spooned her from behind, his right hand had wormed its way under her tank resting innocently over her stomach. Lucas' face was buried in the crook of her neck, she could tell he was still asleep by the steady breaths of air coming into contact with her neck. Peyton remained still on her side not wanting to disturb him. Lucas rarely slept in. He was always the first one up the mornings. He must have been worn out from their day together yesterday.

Peyton smiled. Hard.

All the events from yesterday flooded her mind at once.

Their amazing date all over the city.

The return of a lost memory. Of her very first date with Lucas back in Tree Hill.

And best of all she finally got that kiss she had been itching for. Well not just one kiss, multiple kisses in fact. And of course she couldn't forget how they ended pressed up together, desperately rubbing their bodies against one another until she exploded from the feeling. Much like their kisses, that also had not been a onetime thing last night. Before the night was through Lucas had made her come two more times and just like the first time he had barely touched her with his hands. His hands had remained either tightly clutched around her hips or softly caressing her thighs, but never straying any further. His lips and tongue had been put to good use devouring her mouth, neck, chest, and the spot behind her ear that made her shiver. Several times Peyton had attempted slipping her hands down to his shorts, but Lucas continuously blocked her advances. He hadn't even let her stroke him over his shorts despite Peyton's persistence. At one point Lucas had become so frustrated with her efforts that he ended up pinning both of her hands above her head with one of his arms. She had opened her mouth to protest, but Lucas ignored her, sealing his lips over hers instead as he continued to grind himself against her, effectively shutting her up. That action had sent Peyton into overdrive. She wasn't used to relinquishing complete control in bed before and she quickly discovered how much she actually enjoyed it. She had never been so turned on in her entire life. There was something about the fact that she was unable to or more accurately not allowed to touch his body, while he had free range over hers that really got to her core. Every little brush of his skin against hers felt more heightened as a result and since she didn't have to worry about touching him she just simply concentrated on the sensation. His voice in her ear whispering the sexiest things had also done a fabulous job of getting her so hot and bothered. Lucas kept telling her how beautiful she was to him and had even teased her about the fact that she wasn't able to lift a finger at the moment. He kept reminding her that he was the one in control right now and Peyton had found that to be fucking hot. All of those things worked flawlessly together and as a result those last two orgasms had been much more intense than the first.

She really couldn't stop grinning like an idiot the more she thought about last night. Thank god Lucas was still sleeping. She really needed to get her shit under control.

Peyton then felt Lucas press his soft lips over her shoulder startling her away from her thoughts. "Good morning." He mumbled lazily.

"How did you know I was awake?" She wondered seeing how she had tried her hardest to remain still.

He delivered another lazy kiss this time tickling her bare cheek. "I know my girl, I can practically hear you thinking out loud." He answered teasingly.

Peyton let out an amused chuckle.

Lucas stroked her stomach with his fingertips a few times before removing his hand to grab her chin. He gently tilted her face back to meet his. "Morning." He said softly before closing the small gap between their lips. Peyton shut her eyes returning the kiss. It was sweet and innocent, not at all as passionate as last night's kisses, but it still felt pretty damn good. When they parted she snuggled further back into his embrace as he continued to spoon her from behind. "What were you thinking about?" He asked.

"Us. Yesterday. Everything." She answered slowly pausing between each word as she spoke.

"Me too." He admitted before exhaling deeply. "Did you sleep okay?" He then questioned after a long pause.

Peyton flipped over to her other side wanting to face Lucas. "Oh I slept very well." She smirked. "Someone left me very exhausted yet completely satisfied last night. Slept like a baby."

They both shared matching smiles.

"That sounds nice." Lucas mused.

Peyton nodded confirming. "How about you?"

"Best sleep I've had in a really long time."

"Same here." She agreed.

"Any regrets about last night?" They had moved a little faster than he'd intended. Peyton hadn't opposed, but Lucas worried she might have developed morning regrets.

"Zero." She replied calmly. "You?"

"Never."

Peyton smiled. "Good." She closed her eyes and sighed when Lucas had thrown an arm over her and tenderly started rubbing her back. "You know you can't keep up this little game of yours forever right?" She teased.

"What game?" He frowned unsure of what she meant.

Her eyes reopened. "This thing where you think you can get me to keep my hands off of you. It's not gonna work much longer. I can be very relentless when I need to be." She replied delivering a fair warning.

"Oh I'm aware." Lucas responded chuckling. He was completely fine with how things had transpired last night. Peyton had been satisfied and that's all that mattered. He would most definitely be taking a very cold shower later this morning, but holding back one evening wasn't going to kill him. There would be plenty of time for the physical intimacy between them to progress. Lucas wasn't worried about that part. That part was easy. He was more worried about getting too physical before Peyton's heart was really there. His heart was there, it had never left of course, but hers was a different story. And sex without those mutual feelings was guaranteed to get messy fairly quickly. He couldn't risk it. Lucas wondered if Peyton had taken the time to really think about that. He hoped so. If they decided to cross that line and she later regretted it, it would crush him. He needed her to be sure. His heart wouldn't be able to take it if she rejected him down the road. "You are one determined individual. It is one of the many things I love about you. That being said we should probably talk boundaries."

Peyton frowned. "Boundaries?" She mocked.

"Physical boundaries." He clarified.

"Is that really necessary?" Peyton said sounding very displeased with the suggestion. She had no desire to backtrack on what occurred between them last night. She had thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it and Lucas would have too – if he hadn't been so stubborn – and had let her take care of him.

"I think so."

Her frown stuck. "Why?"

"Are you in love with me?" He said challenging her. "I know you care for me. I know you wanna be with me, but do you love me?"

Peyton froze. Well this conversation had turned south fairly quickly. Why in the hell would he ask her that? In the end she said nothing. If she told him she loved him it would be a lie, but then again if she said no, that sort of felt like a lie as well. There was something there between them, there was no denying it. She did feel something for this man, but at this point Peyton just wasn't comfortable with tossing the ' _I love you'_ declarations around. If not for her then out of respect for Lucas' feelings. There wasn't a straightforward answer she could give him. Peyton thought it was an unfair question for Lucas to ask her given their unique situation.

Lucas didn't push the question further. He had expected her reaction to be as much and that was okay, for now. "And that's exactly why we need to come to some sort of understanding." He proceeded. "I love you. I'm in love with you. You already know that. It's not exactly some big secret."

Peyton swallowed hard. Of course she knew that, there was no need to throw it in her face though.

"So if things don't end up working out the way we want them to, which one of us do you think is going to get badly burned here?" He added.

Peyton nodded. She could see his point.

It would be him.

If they fucked things up by moving too quickly Lucas' heart would be the first to be ripped in half. And that wasn't fair to him. She had to be smart. They had to be smart. Hurting this wonderful man was not an option.

"Okay." Peyton eventually spoke looking somewhat sadly into his blue eyes. "I don't wanna burn you. It's the last thing I want. You're too important to me." She whispered.

"I know babe." Lucas rolled on to his back pulling Peyton with him. She swung her right leg over his and cuddled into his bare chest. Removing his t-shirt had been the only thing Lucas had allowed her to get away with last night while they had been making out. As far as Peyton was concerned Lucas should never be allowed to wear shirts ever again. That upper body of his was far too delicious to hide, at least behind closed doors anyway.

"Do we have to talk about that right now?" She asked hopefully. "You're leaving today." She said sadly. "I don't wanna waste what little time we have left together before you go. Can't we just enjoy the morning? Please?" She pleaded.

Lucas gave into her request as it dawned on them both that he had his trip to Chicago today for BookCon. After everything that happened yesterday Lucas was in no mood to hop on a flight and leave her behind. He rather stay locked up in this apartment with Peyton for the next two days. "I guess it could wait til I get back."

"I really wish you didn't have to go." Peyton mumbled snuggling in closer. "Especially now when we've gotten so much closer…"

"Believe me the last thing I wanna do right now is leave this bed." He quickly cut in knowing exactly how she was feeling. The last twenty-four hours had brought them closer than either one of them had probably expected. "But we still have time, my flight doesn't leave til seven tonight." He started rubbing her back again soothing her.

"It's horrible timing." Peyton complained. "Are you absolutely sure you have to go?" She asked as she drew imaginary circles over his stomach with her index finger.

"Lindsey will have my head if I'm a no show and I kind of like my head right where it is." Lucas scoffed just thinking about what his editor's reaction would be. If he learned anything from working with Lindsey Strauss over the years it was that you did not want to get on her bad side. She took her job very seriously and had very little patience for fuck ups, which is what made her such a fantastic editor. Yes, she was a hardass, but she always managed to push Lucas' writing above and beyond, and it really was because she did care. "I have to Peyton."

Peyton pouted disappointed that she couldn't convince him to stay. "You know for future reference you probably shouldn't mention another woman's name while you're in bed with another." She joked. "Who's Lindsey?" She asked her curiosity getting the best of her.

"She's my editor."

"Oh." Peyton frowned. "I didn't know she was a woman." She said trying to sound indifferent, but failing miserably. "And she's gonna be there with you?"

"Yea she usually is when I do these book signings and talks."

"Hmmm." Peyton replied sounding unimpressed. "She knows your married right?" She questioned as she continued to fish for more information.

"Wait a second…are you…jealous?" Lucas began to laugh hysterically.

"I am not jealous." Peyton quickly shot back. Her head lifted off his chest so she could glare at him. "I was just curious to know if she's the kind of woman that would respect the boundaries of marriage that's all."

Lucas laughed even harder. This was new. The old Peyton never really got jealous much. "Of course she knows I'm married Peyton, she's only met you dozens of times."

"Do you think she's ever been into you?"

Lucas scoffed at her ridiculous accusation. "She's not, trust me. No way."

"And why would it be so hard to believe that she could be? I mean you're not exactly lacking in the looks department."

"Well thank you for that riveting compliment." Lucas joked. "I don't think I ever seen you like this before." He said in an amusing tone. "It's kind of cute to see you all worked up."

Peyton rolled her eyes unamused. "Is she pretty?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Why is that even relevant? I mean even if Lindsey were interested – which I can assure you she's not – I'm definitely not interested in her."

"And how could you possibly be so sure?" She said in a doubtful tone.

"Because she's dating Max – my manager – who will also be at BookCon with me. Remember they sent you that huge basket of chocolates when you were still in the hospital?" He reminded her.

Peyton's face fell. "Oh my god." She groaned covering her face with her hands. She did remember those damn chocolates. Brooke and her had devoured the basket in an entire day. Lindsey and Max apparently had excellent taste in fine chocolates. "Can we just forget the last five minutes?" She mumbled through her palms utterly mortified that she had just made a complete fool of herself. Where the hell had that even come from? Peyton the green-eyed monster was not a good look on her.

"Ha! No way." Lucas chuckled as he pried away Peyton's hands from her face. "I kind of like you all jealous." He cooed.

Peyton scowled slapping his hand away making Lucas laugh again. "Stop it." Her face slightly flushed from embarrassment.

Lucas reached for her again. "Come here." He said pushing her hair away from her face. "I only have one type and her name is Peyton Sawyer-Scott." He reassured her. Peyton gave in, her lips forming a small smile. She leaned over giving Lucas a simple peck of the lips. "How's the hangover?"

Peyton made a face. Her head was not doing too well, but she'd been trying her best to ignore it. "I could really go for something greasy right now and probably like an entire bottle of ibuprofen." She joked. "That should do the trick."

Lucas nodded in agreement. He definitely need to kick his own hangover before his flight tonight, but luckily it wasn't the worst hangover ever, which was really shocking considering the amount of alcohol they had ingested last night. Peyton seemed to be in pretty good shape as well. "Something greasy sounds fantastic." He mumbled his stomach already rumbling at the prospect. "And coffee. Lots of coffee." He added earning a nod of approval from Peyton. "I'll make us something."

Peyton pushed a hand into Lucas' chest when he started to move to get up. "Or…you can stay in bed. I'll start up the coffee maker and then run down to the deli and get us those colossal egg sandwiches they make with bacon and cheese. And then we can have breakfast in bed and absolutely do nothing until the very last minute you have to leave for the airport. Doesn't that sound kind of perfect?" Her lips parted into a giant smile. She looked at Lucas with wide eyes showing her full excitement.

"That does sound kind of perfect." Lucas returned her smile. "But I can run down and get the sandwiches while you get the coffee ready." He offered.

"Nuh-uh." She wagged her finger at him disapprovingly. "You make me breakfast every single day. Now while I can't make you breakfast, because let's face it my cooking skills are shit, I can at least bring you breakfast in bed. I am really good at buying and carrying things." She boasted. "You'll be super impressed."

Lucas laughed. "Okay." He relented. "I'll just stay nice and warm under the covers then." He said dramatically as he folded his hands behind his head and stretched out on the bed. "Just please be careful okay?" He told her, his tone unexpectedly shifting to serious.

Peyton sent him a weird look. "I'm just running down to the store." She reminded him.

"Last time you ran down to the store you didn't come back." He said quietly.

Her face fell when she realized that Lucas was still holding on to that guilt from the accident. He would have to get over it eventually. It wasn't his fault. Peyton scooted over closer. "I'm coming back." She told him as she placed a hand over the side of his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "And I'll be extra careful. I promise."

* * *

"Luke I've got breakfast!" Peyton announced her presence as she walked into the apartment. "I made sure to ask for extra grease." She teased as she walked down the hall while kicking off her shoes and tossing her coat aside. She rounded the corner entering the living room and frowned. She had expected to find Lucas still in bed, but that wasn't the sight she came across. The couch was back to its original form with all its cushions and throw pillows neatly put back in their place and Lucas was nowhere to be found. She released an annoyed huff that Lucas had ruined her plans of jumping back into bed for the rest of the day. She reluctantly dragged her feet towards the kitchen where she assumed he'd be waiting with coffee. The kitchen was empty too. It didn't take long for Peyton to notice that the coffee mugs she had set out were gone and the coffee pot was empty and turned off. Where was he? "Lucas!" Peyton called out heading back towards the hall. It didn't take long to find him. There he was in the bedroom sitting on the bed with a mug of steaming hot coffee in hand, while her mug sat on the nightstand. "What the hell, I thought I told you to stay in bed!" She let out in an angry whine from the doorway. Lucas had spoiled her plans of delivering breakfast in bed even if she hadn't technically made it herself.

Lucas' lips formed into a crooked smile before speaking. "Per your instructions I believe that I am in fact currently sitting on a bed waiting for you…and according to you last night I believe the couch no longer qualifies as a bed I'm allowed to sleep in." He took a sip of his coffee before setting the mug down on the nightstand. He hoped she hadn't changed her mind. Lucas wanted nothing more than to be back in their room sleeping side by side, together, in their bed. He might have to get rid of that couch just case she got any ideas.

Peyton's face softened. A small smile looped around her lips. She then took a tiny step back before running towards the bed excitedly. She launched herself in the air releasing a squeal when she landed right over Lucas as the both fell back on the bed laughing. He caught her waist just in time to reduce the impact of her jump on his chest. "Breakfast." She chirped pulling back slightly and dropping the bag of food in her hands on Lucas' chest.

After breakfast they got under the covers and slept off their hangover for a few hours. They spent the afternoon still in bed discussing all sorts of things, including last night's date. Peyton's favorite part of the date had been going on the boat of course, while Lucas confessed his favorite moment had been just sitting in the kitchen eating doughnuts. It had been the only part of the night where they had truly been alone – it had been simple, comfortable and very familiar. Just the way Lucas liked it.

When they weren't talking they had been rolling around the bed making out fiercely. Unlike last night this round had been nothing short of innocent, but still insanely passionate. Peyton found herself thinking she could kiss Lucas for days on end if it were physically possible. It was a lot harder than she expected when she halfheartedly had to detangle herself from Lucas so that he could get out of bed to pack and start getting ready to head for the airport. As she sat in bed watching him pack a small carry on, Peyton became mindful of the fact that she was going to miss him. Lucas wasn't going to be gone long, just a couple of days, but still it was significant nonetheless – it was the first time they'd be apart since her accident. Though she was positive he had probably already spoken with Brooke to check in on her. Peyton knew he worried too much, but it was only a couple of days, she would be fine.

After Lucas had showered, dressed and was all packed, they had migrated to the kitchen for a quick meal before his departure. And now they stood at the front door of their apartment ready to say goodbye, as the car scheduled to take Lucas to the airport had arrived and was downstairs waiting.

"You know it's not too late to back out." Peyton spoke tempting him. She had her hands placed flat down over his chest. Lucas had his arms wrapped around her waist.

A goofy smile crossed his lips before he spoke. "I won't be gone long, it's just two days. Not even a full 48 hours actually." He reminded her.

Peyton took in a deep breath, her chest rising. "I know. It's just gonna be weird being in the apartment all alone. I've kind of gotten used to you bugging me all the time." She teased.

"You should stay at Brooke's if you don't want to be alone." He quickly suggested.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of sleeping alone in our apartment."

"I know, but…"

"But I am gonna miss you." She added cutting him off not wanting to get into an argument as he was leaving.

"Me too." Lucas whispered leaning closer to kiss her. "Don't forget about your appointment with Dr. Parker tomorrow." He said after pulling his lips away.

"I won't." She promised.

"I'm sorry I can't be there." This would be the first appointment he would miss since Peyton was released from the hospital. Lucas had accompanied her to every single one up until this point.

Peyton shrugged. "It's okay. I know you would if you could." She reassured him. She wasn't bothered by it. Tomorrow was just a routine checkup.

"I should get going." Lucas muttered unhappily as he grudgingly released Peyton from his embrace.

"Okay." Peyton spoke quietly. "Have fun."

"Should I tell Lindsey you say hi?" Lucas joked. Peyton narrowed her eyes making him laugh out.

Peyton slid her hands up from Lucas' chest, snaking them across the back of his neck until she reached his hairline. She gently pulled him forward until their lips molded one final time. She could feel Lucas smile against her lips before deepening the kiss leaving her completely breathless by the time it was over. "I'll call you when I land." He promised. "Bye."

"Bye. Be safe." She watched him make his way down the hall towards the elevator. Lucas sent her a small wave before stepping inside and disappearing from sight. Peyton sighed closing the door shut. She missed him already.

A minute later she felt her phone buzz in the back pocket of her jeans. She unlocked her phone reading the text message she just received.

 _I miss you already._

She smiled.

* * *

Peyton sat quietly in the examination room waiting. Upon arriving the nurse had gone through the standard check up process before handing her a hospital gown and escorting her down the hall to get a MRI. When that was over with she returned to the exam room as she waited for Dr. Parker to come back with her results. Peyton hated these appointments mainly because they took way too long, between waiting to get to the machines and then waiting for the results. It took hours. Usually she had Lucas to keep her company, but he had left town last night. He had been sweet though, calling her this morning to wish her well.

The door to the room opened revealing Dr. Parker. He sent her a smile as he closed the door behind him. "Hello there Peyton, it's good to see you again." He greeted. Peyton returned the greeting as she watched him make his way around the room and behind the small desk in the room before taking a seat. "How are you doing these days?"

"Not bad." She answered.

"Still readjusting okay?"

"For the most part."

Dr. Parker nodded. "Let's take a look at your scans shall we?"

Peyton eagerly nodded. She was more than ready to go home.

"Ok let's see…" Dr. Parker mumbled as he turned to the computer and clicked away until he located Peyton's file. He opened it pulling up her most recent scans. "Okay everything is looking good." He began as he tilted the computer screen so Peyton could see as well. "Those bruises on your bones are healing nicely. The internal bleeding injuries that you sustained from the accident haven't torn or ruptured open so we are in the clear on that front." He spoke pointing to the scans of her torso. "And you haven't experienced any new discoloration or swelling I'm assuming?"

Peyton quickly shook her head. "Not at all. The swelling is almost completely gone. I just have a bunch of nasty colored bruises, but you said that was normal."

He nodded. "Are the areas still tender to the touch?"

Peyton shook her head again. "No." She said sounding relieved. "I can actually shower now without feeling like I'm gonna pass out from the pain." She teased.

"Excellent. Keep taking it easy and refraining from any strenuous activity." He ordered. "You're not fully healed yet, so we don't wanna risk any setbacks."

Peyton nodded.

"Okay let's switch over to your brain scans then." He clicked on another file. "Also looking very good." He spoke after a beat. "I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary…no significant swelling…no bleeding or blood clots." He added with a smile.

Peyton released the deep breath she was holding in. Her nerves were always on high alert whenever it was time to review the scans of her brain. She was always worried something would go horribly wrong.

"You okay?" Dr. Parker eyed Peyton catching on to her nerves.

"Yea...it's just always kind of scary going over this stuff." She admitted.

"It is." He agreed. "But you're doing just fine."

"Thank you doctor."

The doctor sent her a soft smile before going back to business. "Are you experiencing any persistent headaches, nausea, dizziness, ringing of the ears, blurred vision or anything else out of the ordinary?"

She gave him a firm shake of the head. She had been pretty lucky on that front since these were common symptoms that head trauma patients usually experienced during and even after the recovery period.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"No."

"Any difficulty concentrating?"

"No."

"And your mental health? How would you describe it?"

Peyton shrugged. "I don't really know how to answer that."

Dr. Parker paused. "Well…sometimes patients have a hard time dealing with the trauma they've experienced. It's expected that one would feel emotional, but some have a harder time dealing with those emotions than others. Depression, anxiety, changes in behavior and personality are some common issues that patients may experience."

"I mean sometimes I'm sad or frustrated, but lately I've been having better days than bad. I don't think I'm depressed or anything."

"Even if you aren't clinically depressed I would recommend that you still talk to someone."

Peyton frowned. "Like a shrink?" She didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes, even if it's just for one session. You might find it somewhat cathartic being able to unload whatever you may be feeling or experiencing with someone outside of your circle. I know some patients find it much more difficult to confide in their family and close friends because of the extra added pressure or are afraid they'll be disappointing them somehow. I'd like to recommend someone for you. I'll give you a referral, but don't feel pressured. It's completely up to you if you'd like to set up an appointment, though I highly encourage you to give it a shot."

"Okay. I'll think about it."

"Anything else I should know?"

"Yes actually." Peyton said with a smile. "I recovered a memory recently."

Dr. Parker grinned. "Peyton that's wonderful. That should have been the first thing out of your mouth when I walked in." He teased. "How long ago?"

"Two days ago. It was in the form of a dream actually, but it felt so real. I asked Lucas about it and turns out it really happened." She explained.

"But you've only had just that one memory return then?"

"Yea is that bad?"

Dr. Parker blew out a breath. "It's been what, about a month and half now since you woke up?"

She nodded.

"Everyone's brain is different, but if we're being honest here, most of my patients would have recovered more than just one single memory by now. I'm not saying this to discourage you Peyton, but I don't want to give you false hope either."

Peyton's smile faltered. "But I mean I did manage to remember something, that has to count for something right?"

"Of course it does. It's wonderful and maybe the rest will just start pouring in soon – like I said before, the brain is one complex organ. When it comes to head traumas, we never really know for sure what we're gonna get. But I just want you and your husband to be prepared in case that doesn't happen, especially as more times passes."

"So basically you're telling me that the chances of me remembering my past are more likely to decrease as more time passes in between?" She said incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure she obviously appreciated Dr. Parker's honestly, but even so it was still a very hard pill to swallow.

"You know I can't give you a straight forward answer on that." He replied. "You could regain everything, or just a little, or nothing at all. I just want you to be prepared is all I'm saying, but you're still recovering so hang in there. Trust that your body knows to do what's best for you."

Peyton threw a hand to her forehead closing her eyes and sighing. This was not the news she had been hoping for. She thought remembering her first date with Lucas was a good sign. A sign that she'd be remembering everything else shortly.

This really sucked.

* * *

"Hey you." Lucas happily greeted Peyton, a smile plastered on his face after seeing her name flash across the screen of his phone. "I thought we weren't calling until later tonight?" He questioned, not that he minded speaking with her now.

"Yea." Peyton replied softly. "I just wanted to hear your voice. Can you talk?" She knew he was probably really busy right now, but she really did want to hear his voice. She was feeling kind of down.

"Yea I can talk for a little, I don't start my book signing for another ten minutes." He explained.

"How's it going over there?" She asked making small talk.

"The Q&A went really well. There was a bigger turnout then we originally expected, so that's always good. People seemed really excited about the preview of the new book."

Although she knew he couldn't see her, Peyton nodded. It occurred to her that she had not once ever asked Lucas what his new book was about.

' _Man was she a sucky wife.'_ She thought as her fingers played with the wedding rings still hanging over her neck.

She would make sure to ask him all about it on his return home.

"That's good." She eventually replied.

"How's your day going so far?"

"Not bad, after we spoke this morning I headed to Central Park and sketched for awhile. It's really beautiful out there with all the leaves changing. Then after that I went to my appointment."

"Everything all good then?" He assumed since Peyton hadn't sent him any frantic texts or calls saying otherwise.

"Yea everything is good. All my scans came back perfect. I just gotta keep taking it easy." She responded. "Though he wants me to go talk to someone." She revealed after a beat.

"Like a psychologist?" He said speaking carefully.

"Yea, something about me needing to get my feelings out in case I become depressed or what not. I told him I would think about it. What do you think?" She wanted to know Lucas' thoughts on the subject. She trusted his opinions. "I'm personally not too crazy about the idea." The idea of talking to a complete stranger was uncomfortable.

"He said you were depressed?" Lucas scoffed at the notion. It made him upset that Dr. Parker would even suggest such a thing. "That's ridiculous." His girl was fine, she was dealing just fine.

"No he never accused me of being depressed or unstable or anything like that." Peyton defended. "I think he's just being cautious just in case. I can see where he's coming from. He said that a lot of patients in my situation can ended up with some mental health issues because they're unable to cope. He really wants me to at least try it out once. Do you think I should?"

There was a long pause over the phone before Lucas spoke. "You know you can talk to me about anything right? I'll always be here to listen and not judge you. You can always be honest with me."

"I know." She said reassuringly.

"That being said…I could see how maybe hashing out things with someone who's a completely neutral third-party could have its benefits. So maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea to try it out. And if you're having doubts there is someone else you could talk to beforehand about it." He offered.

"Who?" She questioned, suddenly very curious.

"Haley."Lucas replied. "When her mom passed a few years back she took it really hard, especially since her dad had passed a couple of years before that. She started seeing a therapist and found that it really helped her. So if you have any questions I'm sure Haley would be more than happy to answer them."

"Okay, maybe I will then." Peyton said. Just like her Haley had lost both of her parents a little too early in life. She was shocked to hear that, apparently she and Haley had more in common than just their love of music.

"Oh did you tell Dr. Parker about your memory?!" Lucas said suddenly.

Peyton physically cringed. She had been dreading this part. "I did." She had hoped Lucas wouldn't remember to ask.

"Well? What did he say?" Lucas pushed fishing for more details.

"He said it was wonderful news." It wasn't a complete lie, but she was omitting the rest of truth. Peyton didn't have the heart to tell Lucas about what she and the doctor had discussed – at least not over the phone. Lucas was over the moon that she had finally remembered something and the last thing she wanted to do now was crush his spirit, especially when things had never been better between them. He was going to be so disappointed.

"Good. Anything else?"

"Not really, but he was very happy for me." God she was a horrible person.

"Hopefully everything else comes back soon right?" His voice was so optimistic that it made Peyton feel even worse about herself.

"Yea." She said somewhat sadly.

"Hey are you okay?" His happy tone was replaced with a worried one.

"I'll be okay. I was just thinking a lot about my dad just now." She confessed and that wasn't a lie. It was actually the reason she had called him in the first place. She really did need to hear Lucas' voice. After arriving home from her appointment, Peyton had gone snooping around her office – well she guessed it really wasn't considered snooping, since technically she was looking through her own possessions – anyway amongst her search she had come across an old bracelet Larry Sawyer had given Peyton when she had turned fifteen. "I found an old bracelet of mine that he gave me when I was a teen."

She had already felt sad after speaking with Dr. Parker earlier this afternoon, and finding that bracelet only made matters worse. Her chest had felt so tight, almost to the point that she felt like she couldn't breathe when she thought about how much she missed her father. She couldn't help but think that if her dad was here right now, he would know exactly the right things to say to ease her pain regarding her memory loss.

But he wasn't here. And she couldn't remember that loss. And that's what made the pain that much more difficult. If she never remembered losing her father, then she would never be able to remember how they said goodbye.

And that was by far the worst part.

Not being able to say goodbye.

"I wish you were here." She confessed her voice breaking a little. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours yet and not having him around was not something Peyton wanted to get used to.

"Me too sweetheart." He responded in frustration. "I'm sorry you're feeling so down right now and I'm not there, but hey I'll be home soon. I'm catching the red eye later tonight and then by the time you wake up tomorrow morning I'll be the first thing you see." He promised.

Peyton hummed. "That sounds nice." It was something to look forward to.

"You know I think I know something that might make you feel a little better."

"I'm listening." Peyton spoke, her interested peaked.

"I have something for you. I was gonna wait to give it to you when we got back from LA, but I think the timing is better now." He told her. "Go into my office okay?"

Peyton obeyed his command exiting the bedroom and heading down the hall towards Lucas' office. "I'm in." She informed him.

"Okay, so go to my desk and in the top left drawer there's a blue folder."

"Okay…" She said finding the folder immediately.

"Okay that's for you, check it out. Consider it an early Christmas gift."

Peyton wasted no time opening the folder. She glanced at its contents. The folder just held airplane e-tickets that Lucas had printed out. Peyton frowned. "What, are these our tickets for LA?" She said feeling puzzled. Wasn't much of a surprise in her book.

Lucas chuckled knowing she hadn't even bothered to read anything. "Read the destination baby."

Peyton did as she was told, a big smile forming on her lips immediately. "We're going home!" She said excitedly after seeing that it was a flight to North Carolina – not California.

"Yes for Christmas and New Years. I wanted to surprise you. Figured you might like to go back home for a bit and you can visit your dad and your mom…and your comet." He joked at the end. "When you told me that LA felt more familiar than New York did, I got to thinking that going back home would probably give you that same familiar feeling you've been craving. I just want to give you that."

Dear god how in the world did she manage to find this man? With each passing day, it was becoming clearer to Peyton why she had married him in the first place. Lucas Scott was nothing short of amazing. "Best surprise gift ever." She told him a little teary-eyed. "Thank you Lucas, you have no idea how much this means to me." She couldn't wait to go home.

"You're welcome."

"You're too good to me." She said softly.

"You're my girl. I'll always be good to you." Peyton then heard Lucas speaking away from his phone to someone else. "I'm sorry Peyt I've gotta go." He grumbled unhappily. "The signing is starting." He added apologetically.

"I understand." She told him though not anywhere near ready to get off the phone with him just yet. "Hurry back home okay?"

His heart skipped a beat from her words. "I'll see you soon blondie. I'll call you later."

* * *

Later that evening Peyton was in bed under the covers reading. Keeping her promise to Brooke, she had found a copy of Lucas' first novel in his office and had begun reading it yesterday. She was about half way through now, reaching the part of the book where Lucas discussed the loss of his Uncle Keith during the school shooting that took place their senior year of high school. She had met Keith Scott a few times over the course of her two year relationship with Nathan, but besides the fact that he owned an auto shop and was the older brother of Dan Scott, Peyton didn't know much else about the man who lost his life that day. In all honestly, at the time Peyton had been too busy dealing with her own demons of that day. The morning of the shooting she had been at the wrong place at the wrong time and had been shot in the leg by Jimmy Edwards. She had been with Brooke and Jake at the time and amongst the chaos they had both managed to drag her out of the building – otherwise she would have most likely bled out in the hall unable to walk from the pain.

She had been lucky though. The damage from the gunshot wound had been minor. She had been confined to walking around in crutches for a few weeks, but otherwise she had been lucky. Keith Scott hadn't been so lucky and Peyton had no idea that he had played the role of father figure in Lucas' life.

It was absolutely tragic to read.

The first half of the book had explored the early years of Lucas' life and his non-existent relationship with his father and brother, but underneath those feelings of abandonment, anger and even sometimes self-loathing – there had been a constant bright light throughout his childhood in the form of another Scott and that had been the love of his uncle. The man who had selflessly helped Lucas' mother raise him and had never asked for anything in return, despite the fact that his involvement in Karen and Lucas' lives had caused a wedge between his own brother Dan. The three of them had formed their own little family and finally after years of dancing around the issue, Karen and Keith had finally admitted their love for one another and were engaged to get married. Keith was even ready to legally adopt Lucas as his own, and then without any warning it was all shattered to pieces by a simple bullet.

Needing a break Peyton sighed heavily, closing the book shut and placing it aside. Her hand traveled south to her left leg stopping at her scar from the gunshot wound. Peyton rubbed her fingers around the scar. It had been awhile since she had thought about that day and reading Lucas' words hadn't been easy, but she could relate to every single emotion that he had conveyed.

Brooke had been right. They did have a lot in common.

During high school despite being popular and having boyfriends, Peyton had always felt a bit of a loner. Sure she had lots of fun during those four years and had found love, but she never felt like she had someone to relate to or anybody that really understood what she had gone through. Brooke was her best friend and Jake had been the love of her life, and they had always been there for her during the toughest points of her life, but they could never really understand what it felt like to be her.

And Peyton Sawyer had been through a lot. She had lost her mother as a child, her father was barely around since he worked so much, at age seventeen she discovered she had been adopted, that same year she met her birth mother and then lost her all over again to cancer a few months later, and then of course there had been the school shooting. It had been a lot for someone to go through at such a young age.

And now she was discovering that the whole time she had been dealing with that tough shit, there had been someone else going through all of the same issues and he had been passing her down the halls every single day for four years. Lucas had experienced the same feelings of parental abandonment, anger, frustration, sadness, feeling misunderstood, loss of hope, and the loss of a loved one. If only she had known him back then, then maybe she wouldn't have felt so alone. Maybe they could have been friends, perhaps something more.

If only she had noticed him.

* * *

And there you have it: Peyton's missing Luke while he's away. Lucas is starting to be a little more cautious with his own heart. And Peyton finally starts to read Lucas' novel.

Just a quick reminder, like I mentioned awhile back, Lucas' first book is not at all about Peyton (since they were never involved in high school). In this story Lucas' second novel is all about Peyton and his love for her, which obviously she hasn't read yet. Keep that in mind because it will be important down the road.

Next up: Lucas comes home and Leyton heads to LA for the reunion.

As always (I know I sound like a broken record here but) thank you all for reading and for those that take the time to review. Please keep them coming guys! More reviews make me extra happy and are such an excellent motivator when writing chapters. It only takes a couple of minutes and it really does make my day. So go on tell me what you like, don't like, what you hope to see, or if you have any specific questions about scenes, characters, plot, etc. please ask away! I look forward to reading them all and answering your questions.

Until next time!


	19. California Bound

Reviews

 **Mia** \- Thank you and happy to hear you enjoyed the last two chapters! Leyton continue to grow a little closer in this chapter, so enjoy!

 **Tpassions** \- I really was aiming to post two more chapters this month, but life got away from me unfortunately.

 **Katherine** \- The reunion is here and there will be plenty of angst starting in the next chapter.

 **RoseK124** \- Glad you enjoyed the last chapter, thank you!

 **ktlynrose** \- Thank you! I surely hope the LA chapters don't disappoint.

 **jordana60** \- You being able to feel Peyton's emotions right along with her in the last chapter lets me know that I must be doing something right, so thank you!

 **Annie** \- Yes, slowly but surely Peyton is starting to realize that she and Lucas together make sense, and more importantly she's accepting it. And now that Lucas has finally reached a good place that feels genuine with Peyton, I think he definitely needs to start putting his own feelings first. Up until this point he's gone above and beyond to insure that Peyton had been comfortable with everything, but he can't continue to cater to her needs in the long run. We can't only have a one-sided relationship now can we?

 **thibbs65** \- It was kind of funny poking fun at the whole Peyton/Lucas/Lindsey jealously briefly. But I can assure you that's probably the last of it. There is nothing going on between Lucas and Lindsey in this story, in fact the only appearance I have planned for her will be very brief and will not be happening anytime soon.

 **Guest** \- Thank you so much! I'm truly flattered that you enjoy my writing so much. And yup, the chapters lately have been a little longer, I've been feeling inspired lately. Deciding on how physical and emotional I'm allowing Leyton to get at this point has been a bit difficult for me in terms of finding the right balance. They are in a weird space right now mainly because at this stage even though Peyton has developed strong feelings for Lucas, she's still sorting out what it all means in her head. At this point Peyton's physical attraction for Lucas is stronger than her emotions for him, especially since her struggles make her feel so lonely and she's seeking some form of comfort - though as you can see her feelings are starting to slowly grow out of that superficial stage. Meanwhile Lucas, for obvious reasons, is more emotionally driven in his need for Peyton. So it's been kind of fun playing around with the idea of having Peyton being far more aggressive in seeking out that physical intimacy between the two, and whether or not Lucas will rebuff her or eventually cave. Stay tuned!

 **Guest -** As you can probably already tell Leyton is also my favorite OTP on OTH! Thanks for reading.

 **Guest** \- Lol! Yes the reunion will not be without its drama. I promise. As for my "Desperate Kingdom of Love" story, as you can see I haven't touched that story in years and highly doubt I will to be honest. Desperate Kingdom and my season 1 story before it were written when I was very new to writing and fanfiction, and still not comfortable writing original stories, which is why they were written fairly in canon, though I did still switch it up alot. But it was pretty time consuming having to go through each and every episode and review story-lines and dialogue, and I'm at the point in my life where I don't have that kind of time anymore. I started writing those stories when I was a teen. Besides right now I'm having much more fun writing this original story than I ever did writing my two other stories, and so I don't think I'll ever go back to that method of writing again. So I'm sorry about that! But hey you never know right?

 **Guest** \- A little drama is coming soon, I promise.

 **Guest** \- I absolutely love to read that the last update made your day! You are a sweetheart.

* * *

Hello there loves! Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you had a good one! So this chapter took much longer then expected to get out, but work got in the way and left very little time for writing. Then I went away for the holidays and though I did manage to finish writing this chapter before I left, I just ran out of time to post it up and didn't have access to my laptop while I was away. Actually I just got back from my trip and couldn't sleep, so decided might as well post this up. So sorry for the long wait guys.

Chapter Track: 'California Bound' by Carolina Liar

* * *

Chapter 19: California Bound

 **New York City – December 2014**

Lucas dumped his things on the floor after entering the apartment. He peeled off his thick winter coat, hanging it on one of the hooks by the door. That was followed by the removal of his scarf and hat. He then kicked off his boots shortly after. The Chicago weather had been harsh – which didn't come as much of a surprise seeing how it was winter after all, and Chicago winters were known for being brutal – and so Lucas was glad to be back in New York, where the cold weather was a bit more forgiving than it had been in the Windy City.

"Lucas?"

But of course he was truly glad to be back home for an entirely different reason. He was coming back home to her.

"It's me." He called out surprised to hear Peyton's voice. It was barely seven in the morning, he had expected Peyton to still be in bed. "I'm home." Lucas had entered the living room just as Peyton had poked her head around the corner on the opposite side of the room. "There's my girl." He spoke once he caught sight of her.

Her face lit up instantly. "You're home." Peyton walked further into the room, her stride increasing with each step she took. When she reached him her arms had wrapped around his neck straight away. Lucas wrapped his arms around her back pulling Peyton closer. "I missed you." She spoke softly, her face buried into the crook of his neck.

"I – " Lucas was just about to return the sentiment, but he paused frowning when his nose had caught the scent of something burning. He pulled back slightly from Peyton. "It smells like something's burning." He stated as his nose wrinkled up taking in another whiff of air.

"Oh shhhhit." Peyton abruptly shoved Lucas off and ran out of the room. "Goddammit!" He heard her curse all the way from the kitchen making him chuckle.

When Lucas entered the kitchen Peyton was dumping whatever she had been cooking into the trash as she muttered out another irritated curse. "What's all this?" He questioned after noticing what a mess the kitchen was. Peyton had never been much of a cook and when she did put the kitchen to use she always managed to make three times the mess than the average person would.

"Well I was trying to surprise you with breakfast." She sighed blowing a piece of hair out of her face. "And now it's ruined." She added sending him an annoyed pout.

Lucas smiled wide in surprise. "You're making me breakfast?"

Peyton nodded. "I figured you'd be hungry after that early flight." She explained. "I'm making French toast."

"French toast?" He said raising an eyebrow.

Suddenly Peyton looked panicked. "It's your favorite right? Haley said…" She frowned with worry rushing out her words.

"You called up Haley?" He said happily surprised.

"I texted her." Peyton corrected. "Do you not like French toast anymore? I can try to make something else…" She quickly offered.

"No sweetheart it's definitely still my favorite." He reassured her. "You didn't have to go through all that trouble though."

"I wanted to."

"Well you didn't have to throw it in the trash. I could have worked around the burnt parts." He teased taking a look at the remains of his breakfast sitting in the trash.

"No way, you're getting the perfect French toast breakfast, even if it takes me all damn day."

Lucas laughed.

"I kind of anticipated this would happen anyway, so I kind of made a few extra batches just in case." She sheepishly admitted. "That was attempt number two I just tossed out."

"Well they do say third time's a charm."

"Exactly." Peyton spoke with a new found confidence. "So while I work on breakfast and set some fruit and coffee out on the table, I'm thinking you can go hop in the shower and wash the plane off you."

"A shower does sound pretty incredible right about now." Lucas had to admit. His body was feeling sore from traveling and a hot shower would work wonders right about now. "Sure you don't want me to help with breakfast?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nope. I've got this."

"Okay, but I'm not leaving this room until I get my hello kiss." Lucas stated, the corners of his lips pulling up into a smile. "You ran out so fast from the living room before I could properly greet you." He teased.

Peyton laughed. "I guess I can oblige that request if it's absolutely the only way I can get you outta of this kitchen."

"Oh that request is non-negotiable." He said firmly.

"Well you drive a hard bargain Lucas Scott." Peyton spoke sporting a smirk.

"Get over here already." Lucas demanded impatiently. He hadn't felt the feel of her lips in two days and it was the one thing he had been looking forward to doing all morning.

Peyton chuckled stepping closer to close the gap between their bodies. "Welcome home, I'm glad your back." She said while tugging lightly at his shirt.

"It's good to be back." Lucas whispered as his eyes closed shut and his lips found hers as his hands wormed their way up and around the back of Peyton's neck.

Peyton's grip on his shirt had tightened in anticipation and when she finally felt Lucas' lips against her own she practically melted into the kiss. Every kiss she shared with this man just seemed to get better and better. Peyton had been instantly addicted and she wanted more. Lucas had started off this particular kiss slow and steady, but Peyton was the one to deepen it this time. Her tongue wasted little time in seeking his, and she faintly heard the satisfied groan Lucas released when her tongue had pushed its way past his lips and into his mouth.

The necessity for oxygen is what finally forced them apart, but Lucas tightened his hold over the back of her neck still wanting to keep Peyton close so that she was unable to pull away. "By the way I missed you too blondie." He informed her softly, while their foreheads were pressed up together and his eyes bore into her captivating green ones. "These last two days apart have been pure torture."

Peyton smiled. It was comforting to know that he had been feeling the exact same way she had. Sure perhaps it was a little pathetic that they were becoming a tad codependent in such a short amount of time, but she didn't care. It felt right and Peyton wasn't about to deny herself what she wanted, especially if Lucas felt the same. She lightly brushed her nose against his. "Don't tell me, show me then. Show me how much you missed me." She demanded, eager for another mind-blowing kiss that left her weak in the knees.

Lucas chucked. "Baby I don't think there's enough time in the day to show you just how much I missed you." He playfully hovered his lips over hers without actually kissing her again.

"Luke." She whined not appreciating his teasing. She dug her nails into his chest making her displeasure clear. "I need you." The desire for his lips growing stronger.

That seemed to do the trick.

He was devouring her mouth less than a second later.

* * *

It wasn't until ten minutes later that Peyton finally found the strength to break away from her intense make-out session with Lucas and send him on his way to shower, while she fixed breakfast. By some miracle she managed not to burn the French toast on the third try. They ate at the kitchen table while Lucas talked about his trip to Chicago. Having no desire to do much of anything today, they migrated to the couch after breakfast and started the second season of Game of Thrones. Lucas had introduced Peyton to the show a few weeks ago and she had been addicted instantly.

Peyton groaned. "Joffrey is just the absolute worst." She commented after the episode came to a close. "Can someone just kill him already?" She said laughing slightly.

"Ah, I take it he's not one of your many chosen suitors?" Lucas teased her. After watching the very first episode Peyton had developed somewhat of a crush on several of the show's characters. Two of them had already been killed off in the first season and she had not been pleased at all.

Her face wrinkled in disgust. "Gross he's like 17 you pervert!" Her hand shot out to slap him across his chest. "Plus I'm pretty positive he's a sadist, not really my thing."

Lucas laughed. "You wanna watch another episode?" They had already watched three so far this morning.

"Later." Peyton replied as she sat up and swung one of her legs over Lucas so that she could sit on his lap. "Hi." She quietly greeted him as she moved forward to capture his lips with a gentle kiss.

"Hi." Lucas repeated shortly after the kiss was over. His hands rested over her thighs, while Peyton had placed hers on each side of his shoulders.

Peyton sent him a timid smile. "I really did miss you." She wanted to make sure Lucas knew that. She had been serious when she told him that she was going to make more of an effort moving forward and that meant being more honest about her feelings. "It was weird not hearing you moving around the apartment. Guess I'll have to get used to it though huh? I mean once you finish that new book you'll have to travel more right?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah but that's not happening any time soon." He reassured her. "You can come with me on some of my tour dates too." His hands rubbed across her thighs slowly. "And I really missed you too. I couldn't wait to come back home to you."

She placed a kiss on his forehead before smiling once more. "You must be tired. " She observed that his eyelids looked a bit heavy. Having caught the red-eye flight he must have been exhausted from the lack of sleep. "You should go get some sleep."

"I'm fine where I am right now." Lucas replied refusing to move, despite the tired smile that formed across his mouth.

Regardless of how tired he looked Peyton couldn't help but think how sexy Lucas looked even as a small yawn escaped his throat. His hair was still messy from his shower and the smell from his body wash still lingered on his skin. Peyton thought Lucas smelled absolutely incredible. If that wasn't enough, he was wearing grey sweats and a green t-shirt that clung to his torso like a second skin. She could make out every single plane of his chest and abdomen through the thin shirt he wore. Peyton found that she liked Lucas best like this, when he was all dressed down and hassle-free. Not that the boy didn't clean up well – because he most certainly did – but she found herself even more attracted to him when he wasn't even trying at all.

Peyton had also noticed that his blue eyes were a particular shade of icy blue today that really popped out. She had been memorized by the color – they'd never shone this blue before - and she hadn't been able to stop staring at his eyes all morning. If Lucas had noticed her staring he sure hadn't made it known. The man sitting right in front of her was insanely stunning and one look from him sent her heart beating at a rapid pace every single time. The funny thing was that Peyton had noticed that Lucas didn't really seem to notice just how attractive he was. And that was probably the sexist thing of all – of how utterly clueless he really was.

"You know the whole tired look works really well on you." Peyton told him as her hands played with the collar of his t-shirt. "It's kind of sexy."

"Is that so?" Lucas raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Mmmmhh." She hummed as her thumb lightly traced over Lucas' lips.

Lucas pushed her hand aside and smashed their lips together. He kissed her hard a few times before moving on to capture her bottom lip between his teeth to nibble on. Peyton leaned forward directly pressing her chest up against his. Her hands had traveled down to his back burying themselves underneath his shirt, her nails lightly raking again his bare skin.

Lucas gave her bottom lip once last tug before releasing it. He placed a chaste kiss over her lips and then proceeded to work his way down leaving behind a trail of fiery kisses that burned against her cool skin. With each well placed kiss he delivered, Peyton could feel her temperature rising, her skin becoming flushed, her head becoming deliriously faint. His kisses never failed in doing that.

When Lucas finally settled on a spot on the side of her neck, Peyton closed her eyes, sighing contently as she tilted her neck to the side giving him better access. His lips had become more aggressive upon that one spot on her neck. He'd interchange between sucking on her neck with such force before switching over with his warm wet tongue, swiping it around that very same spot in a soothing motion. Then Lucas would reattach his lips over her skin once more and start over again, repeating the same two-step process. He was going to leave behind a huge mark. She knew that, he probably did too, but Peyton couldn't muster the strength to stop his movements. The sensation Lucas was providing overpowered her completely. She couldn't stop him. She didn't want to.

Lucas pulled back suddenly. "Is this okay?" He asked softly.

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" She huffed annoyed that he had stopped so unexpectedly. She tried to pull his face back to her neck.

"I just wanna make sure you're still comfortable with this." A lot could have happened in the last two days. Peyton could have very well changed her mind.

Peyton tried her best to hold it in, but it was futile, she pulled back slightly laughing right in Lucas' face. He looked so cute too asking if she was okay with this, but it was an entirely ridiculous question to begin with, considering that only three nights ago she had orgasmed three times underneath his body. If she hadn't been uncomfortable then, then why would she feel weird about kissing him on their couch now? "Luke I'm sitting here straddling your waist and your hands are gripping my ass." She informed him, pointing out the fact that his hands had abandoned her thighs long ago and had been caressing her backside for some time now. "I think it's safe to say we're both pretty comfortable here." She added still unable to contain her laughter.

"You could change your mind." He reminded her. "It's okay if you want to."

Peyton frowned. "I'm not gonna change my mind Lucas and if there is a problem, then I will let you know. I feel like you're going out of your way to find something wrong between us now, which is ironic considering you're the one who told me how much you've missed being with me." She responded, reminding him of their conversation on Thanksgiving when she got Lucas to admit how much he missed his relationship with Peyton. "Do you not want this with me anymore?"

"Of course I do." He replied in a firm tone. "You're the only one I've ever wanted."

"Then stop stalling and kiss me already." She insisted. "You dork."

She laughed again causing Lucas to laugh as well. "You. Still. Want. Me?" He questioned in between the playful kisses he was giving her.

"Yup." She replied in an equally playfully tone after swiping her tongue gently across the outside of his mouth.

"It's because you think I'm so damn sexy and irresistible huh?" He teased her before catching her tongue with his lips and gently sucking on it, causing Peyton to moan instantly.

When he was done Lucas squeezed her butt causing Peyton to giggle. "I don't ever recall saying you were irresistible." She drawled out a heavy breath.

"Yea I'm pretty sure you did." He quipped.

"Nope, and I'm pretty sure you just made that up." She smirked. "Someone's clearly on the hunt for an ego boost."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "So what if I am?"

"I already told you that you looked sexy." She reminded him.

He kissed her again. "Well tell me what you find so sexy about me then."

Peyton shook her head. "You're getting greedy mister. I've already given you your compliment of the day, take it or leave it."

"Tell me." He urged.

"No way. Stop fishing for more compliments."

"C'mon." Lucas squeezed her butt again.

"Stop." She giggled in response.

"I don't really think you want me to stop. You like it." He raised an eyebrow sending her a knowing look. He hadn't missed the fact that every single time he had gripped Peyton's ass, her hips had involuntarily buckled against his. She wasn't fooling anyone. "Why are you so embarrassed to tell me?" He said noticing the blush that had crept over her cheeks.

"Why do you wanna know so badly?" She said challenging his inquiry.

"What's so wrong about wanting to know what my girl likes about me?"

Peyton smiled practically melting from those words. She couldn't stop the butterflies that formed in the pit of her stomach every time Lucas called her 'his girl.' She had grown to love it. She absolutely loved that she was his. "That right there." She spoke softly. "Every single time you say I'm your girl, it's really hot and it makes me weak in the knees." She admitted. "Actually most of the things that come out of your mouth do. You have these way with words, which I guess makes sense because you're a writer. You say the sweetest things like all the time. You're such a romantic at heart and that right there is really, really, fucking sexy."

"Keep going." He urged, dropping another hungry kiss her way.

Peyton chuckled shaking her head at him, but decided to keep playing along anyway. "Well…you're not a terrible kisser." She teased. "Decent even."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Nobody likes a liar." One of his hands left her butt to go tickle the side of her stomach.

Peyton jumped from the touch laughing once more. "Kissing you is a lot of fun." She admitted hoping he would stop tickling her. Her hands then traveled up his arms stopping at Lucas' biceps, where she then wrapped her hands around. "And you have these arms…oh god it's kind of embarrassing to admit, but you have really nice sexy arms."

"Ah yes your arm fetish. I already knew about that." He laughed remembering how Peyton had always complimented them over the years.

She slapped his chest. "You make it sound dirty." She pursed her lips at him.

He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Anything else?"

And of course there was that smile of his, and his eyes, and his chest, and his stomach, and about a dozen other physical attributes Peyton found attractive, but she decided she had indulged in his request long enough. She'd save the rest for perhaps another time. "I think we're done talking." She replied in a low voice, pushing the hand that was still resting on her stomach back down to her ass before dipping her face down towards his until their lips met once more.

* * *

The next day Peyton was clipping her seatbelt securely around her waist as she looked outside through the small window of the plane. They were still waiting on the rest of the passengers to finishing boarding the aircraft before they took off for Los Angeles. She looked towards her right where Lucas was sitting in the middle seat. He had been oddly quiet since they boarded the plane. "What's with you?" She questioned taking in his very serious demeanor. He was staring at the back of the seat in front of him, practically burning a hole right through the seat with his eyes. Peyton nudged Lucas with her elbow when he failed to respond.

The nudge forced Lucas out of his trance. He looked over at Peyton. "What?" He said with a frown.

"You tell me." He was acting odd.

Lucas shook his head dismissing her. "I'm good." And with that he went back to staring mindlessly at the seat in front of him.

Peyton couldn't tell if he was mad at her or what, but something was definitely off. She looked again in Lucas' direction observing him more carefully this time. When she looked down Peyton noticed how tightly Lucas was gripping the armrests on each side. If the whites of his knuckles were any indication, he'd be snapping those armrests in half if he gripped them any tighter. She then noticed how rapidly he was tapping his left foot, causing his entire leg to jump up and down. Something was without doubt making him particularly antsy.

Peyton's eyes narrowed when the realization hit her. He wasn't mad. He was nervous. "Luke." She called out softly. "Do you not like flying?" She posed the question.

Lucas paused for about half a second before turning to face her again. "It's not my favorite mode of transportation." He muttered looking slightly embarrassed.

Frankly she was surprised, but decided that it was best not to tease him about it. "It's safer than driving." She pointed out.

"I don't know why people always say that." He rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Like that's supposed to make me feel better."

"Because you're more likely to be in a car crash than a plane crash?"

"And I'm pretty sure that if this plane goes down no one is making it out alive, so I'll take my chances with that car crash thank you very much." He quipped sarcastically.

Peyton cracked a smile.

He sent her an unamused look. "You know a normal person would attempt to ease my nerves or at least try to make me feel better with some sort of distraction."

"And what sort of distraction would help you then?" She wondered briefly considering his request.

"You could take your top off." He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. "That might work. Actually it'd probably work better if you tossed the bra too."

Peyton glowered at Lucas. That clearly wasn't happening. She didn't even bother dignifying his comments with a response. She was much too clever for that. "WELL…I can't promise you that this plane won't crash." She teased. "Kind of out of my hands and all since I'm not steering this thing, so you can blame our potential impending doom on our pilots. But I'll tell you what, if we go down I promise to hold your hand as we meet our fiery deaths. I'll even be the one who places your oxygen mask over your face." She promised.

Lucas looked over at her like she had gone completely insane for a minute. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You just asked me to flash you my boobs in front of everyone on this plane!" She laughed leaning over for a quick peck of the lips. "Everything's going to be fine." She said sweetly as she linked their fingers together. "I'm gonna ask whoever sits in the aisle seat if they'll switch seats with us. You might feel a little better if you're not squished in the middle."

He relaxed a little as his shoulders slumped down a bit and the frown on his face had disappeared. "Thanks babe." It seemed kind of childish to think, but Lucas kind of liked that she was willingly taking care of him.

"You're welcome handsome."

* * *

By the time they had arrived at their hotel it was still early in the afternoon. Since the sun was still out and the weather was warm, the very first thing Peyton did was drag Lucas outside to the park across the street after they had checked-in and dumped their luggage in their room. They had stolen a bed sheet from their room, put on their shades, and laid out on the grass holding hands as they soaked up the last few remaining hours of sunlight. When the sun inevitably began to set they made the short walk back to the hotel and decided to clean up before heading out to dinner. The reunion didn't officially kick off until tomorrow and even then the only thing on the agenda was a happy hour session in the evening. Most of the activities and events for the reunion weren't taking place until the day after tomorrow. Which Peyton was actually grateful for, this meant that they basically had the entire day tomorrow to go sightseeing. Peyton was looking forward to showing Lucas around her city and taking him to all her favorite spots. Hopefully they hadn't changed too much in all the years she'd been gone.

"This food is incredible." Lucas moaned with food still in his mouth.

Peyton had taken him to this tiny hole-in-the-wall place that served Mexican food. During college she and her friends would hangout here a lot on weekends, not only for the fantastic food, but also because they never got carded, and the margaritas were strong and cheap.

"This is so much better than that cantina by our place that we love so much." Lucas took another bite of his burrito. "Fuck this is good."

"Told ya." She took a sip of her margarita before licking the salt off on her lips. "So is there anything in particular you'd like to do tomorrow?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "This is your trip babe, anywhere you wanna go is fine." He'd been to LA solo a few times over the years on business, so he'd seen the majority of the big touristy sights, but funny enough they had never taken a trip out here together before. Lucas was looking forward to seeing LA through Peyton's eyes this time around.

She nodded eagerly. "By the way have you met my friends from school before?"

"Yea a bunch of them came to our wedding, and two of them were your bridesmaids along with Brooke and Haley."

"Who?" Peyton questioned though she already had a pretty good idea of who she would have picked.

"Marilyn and Verónica. We've also attended three weddings as well."

"Ooooh who got married?!" She clapped her hands excitedly.

"Your friend Ben, then Verónica, and then your friends Sam and Elliot."

Peyton's jaw dropped. "Sam and Elliot got married? No way. That's insane! She absolutely hated him in college." She laughed. "Every time Elliot asked her out she turned him down because she couldn't stand the fact that he was a frat boy."

"Yea he's still kind of bro-ish." Lucas frowned in thought. "But I guess Sam got over it."

Peyton shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, I'm just like…wow. I can't even picture them together in my head. All they ever did was bicker with each other. I remember her telling me once that Elliot was the most repulsive person she'd ever met in her entire life."

"Wow." Lucas spoke releasing a chuckle. "And then she married him."

"He must have done something right I guess." Peyton mumbled. "He is loaded." She joked. "Anyway do we see my friends often?"

"Not really to be honest. I've only ever met and hung out with them at the weddings. You and the girls however do a yearly trip together. Last year you guys did a cruise to the Virgin Islands."

"I only see them once a year?" She said in a disappointed tone.

"You used to get together more often the first couple of years after college, but it's harder now, people are busier." Lucas explained.

"That sucks." She moaned.

"That's life." Lucas teased. "Though you didn't end up with such bad company." He playfully kicked her foot.

Peyton giggled returning the kick. "Yea I guess you're a nice consolation prize." She quipped.

"Hey!"

"Kidding." She stuck out her tongue and smiled.

* * *

"Hey Peyton have you seen my phone? I can't find it anywhere." Lucas called out from the bathroom while he finished styling his hair.

Peyton looked around their room. It was a mess. It looked like her suitcase had exploded in here with the way her shit was scattered all over the place. It wasn't a wonder why he couldn't find his phone. She'd have to tidy up later when they got back from the happy hour. She got lucky a few minutes later when she lifted a pile of her clothes off the bed revealing Lucas' phone. "Found it!" Peyton declared jubilantly stepping into the bathroom and setting his phone on the sink countertop. When she entered Lucas had just finished buttoning up his shirt.

Lucas thanked her and started fixing the collar of his shirt.

"Here let me." She offered.

Lucas dropped his hands and allowed her to do so. "You look nice." He complimented Peyton as she began to smooth out his collar. She was wearing a black sleeveless silk shirt tucked in to a deep maroon colored skirt that hugged her hips in all the right places.

"Thank you." She had decided not to dress up too much tonight since it was only happy hour. "You look great as well." Which came as no surprise to Peyton. Lucas always looked great. "Did you have fun today?" She asked. After renting a car for the day, they had spent most of the day driving around and sightseeing all over the city and its surrounding neighborhoods. Peyton had taken him to several of her favorite stores, galleries and food spots that she loved so much. They had ended their day at the Santa Monica Pier – the only real touristy thing they ended up doing – walking around and enjoying the piers' attractions before they hit up the beach, dipping their toes in the water since it hadn't been warm enough to go swimming. Now they were getting ready to attend the alumni happy hour that was being hosted by the university at a bar in downtown LA.

Lucas grinned. "It was perfect."

"It really was." She agreed returning his grin.

They had spent the entire day enjoying the sights and sharing stories from their perspective college days. She felt closer to him after their day together. The more Peyton got to know Lucas, the stronger her attraction towards him increased. And not in the physical sense – because she had been physically attracted to him from the get-go – no, this was more about the meshing of their personalities. Peyton noticed they had many similar qualities, as well as opposing traits that seemed to complement one another well. They fit well together. Lucas seemed to be more of a romantic and dreamer, while Peyton was much more grounded and pragmatic. But she liked that about Lucas, he was much more optimistic than she was and it was starting to rub off on her. She liked that. Though apparently he could also be particularly broody according to Brooke and Haley, but Peyton had yet to see that side of him. Lucas was never broody around her, in fact he was always happy to see and be with her.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Of course."

"I just kind of wanna keep quiet about my accident and everything." She hesitated for a moment. "Is that okay?"

"Are you sure about that? Don't you wanna tell your friends?"

Peyton shook her head. "Yea I don't want the fuss over it. Everyone's just gonna keep asking if I'm okay and stuff." She smoothed out his collar one last time. "I just want a fun normal night with you and my friends. People knowing about my memory loss is just gonna put a damper on everything. They'll all get weird and won't know how to act around me."

Lucas blew out a breath. "I won't mention it then. If that's what you really want Peyton." He thought it was a mistake on her part – her close friends would want to know – but he understood where Peyton was coming from and he knew she needed his support on this. So he gave it. Unconditionally.

"It is." She nodded firmly reassuring him of her decision. The only person Peyton planned on disclosing her secret to would be Jake and only because she did really need to speak with him. "Thank you." Funny enough this moment was the first time Peyton had even thought of Jake since she got to LA.

She had almost forgotten.

Almost.

* * *

"There you are!"

A familiar voice exclaimed loudly forcing Peyton to turn around from her spot. She laughed, grinning as she maneuvered her body through the thick crowd of UCLA alumni to reach her friend Verónica, who was furiously waving Peyton over. "Veró!" Peyton exclaimed when she reached her, throwing her arms around her friend in a tight hug.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! I've been texting you, don't you check your phone lady?"

Peyton frowned pulling out her phone to see all the texts she'd missed. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She said giving her a remorseful look. "Hi."

Verónica playfully shook her head and laughed. "Hi." She greeted placing a kiss on Peyton's cheek. "None of us were even sure if you were still actually coming. We haven't heard from you in like three months! You haven't replied to any of the group emails. I was worried P."

Peyton sighed. "Sorry about that. Life's been a little hectic lately." It occurred to Peyton that she should probably check her emails. Did she even know her email?

"Well I'm glad you're here. I've really missed you girl." Verónica grinned showing off her pearly whites and leaned in to give Peyton another hug.

"I've missed you too Veró. You. Have. No. Idea."

Out of all of Peyton's friends from college, Verónica Castillo had been her very best friend. Verónica had come to UCLA as an exchange student from Chile their freshman year and lived on the same floor of the dorms as Peyton. They had become fast friends during Freshman Orientation and grew to be thick as thieves by the end of their first semester. It was a running joking among their friends that if you didn't see Peyton with Jake, then she was attached at the hip with Verónica. Originally Veró was only studying at UCLA for a semester before returning back to South America, but with each semester that passed she extended her stay and with the exception of going home for holidays and summer vacations, she never ended up moving back to Chile.

Verónica Castillo was a very gorgeous girl that their group of friends had so affectionately labeled the "raven bombshell" because she turned heads wherever she went. She was a tall girl nearing 5'9 with naturally tanned olive skin that most California girls would kill for, long flowy jet black locks, and large light brown eyes with specks of green in them. She had all the right curves in all the right places that were accompanied by a pair of legs that went on for days. If that wasn't enough she also had that South American accent that had boys running her way the second they caught sound of it. Throughout college Verónica had had an abundance of suitors waiting at her feet, however after a nasty breakup with her high school boyfriend, she had become sort of a commitment-phobe, preferring to only date casually or have the occasional hookup. It made Peyton curious to know who had managed to put a ring on it once Lucas mentioned last night that Verónica had gotten married. Which by the way was another memory that really sucked to lose – her best friend's wedding. That included Brooke's wedding as well.

"Is the gang all here?" Peyton asked curious.

"Well M. Roe is – she's around here somewhere, we came together – Ben's here with his wife Daisy, Sam and Elliot don't fly in til late tonight, so we won't see them until tomorrow. Umm…Justin is here, so is Phoebe, Mike, Jose, Alex, Sasha, and a bunch of other people we know. It's gonna be a lot fun catching up with people!" She said excitedly. "I still can't believe it's been five years since we graduated college, seems like yesterday we were just moving into the freshman dorms."

Peyton snorted. Verónica had no idea how much truth there was to that statement.

"Hey where's your mino by the way?" Verónica asked noticing that Peyton was solo.

Peyton couldn't remember what mino meant in spanish, but she assumed Veró was inquiring about Lucas. "Oh he's at the bar getting us drinks." She replied.

"Oh perfect! I need a refill anyway." Verónica affectionately threw an arm around Peyton's shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here." They headed in the direction of the bar giggling the entire time as they gossiped.

Lucas found the girls just as they were approaching the bar. "Verónica, hey!" He caught them mid-discussion. Both the girls looked over smiling. Lucas handled Peyton her drink.

"Long time no see Lucas!" Verónica greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

"How have you been?"

"Excellent. Life is good, I can't complain."

"You need a drink." He observed her empty glass. "What are you having?"

"Vodka tonic." Veró replied sweetly thankful that she didn't have to squeeze her way through the crowded bar to get a drink.

"Coming right up." Lucas turned to his wife. "Hold my drink?" Peyton quickly nodded taking the glass off his hands. "I'll be right back." He gave her a quick peck on her cheek before heading back to the bar.

"He's cute as ever." Veró teased once Lucas was out of earshot.

Peyton blushed. "He is pretty cute." She agreed.

Verónica chuckled. "Aww look at you getting all red in the face over your man. It's cute. The two of you are very cute."

"Why thank you." Peyton said jokingly. "I do enjoying being cute."

"It does look good on you." Verónica mused.

* * *

"So it's true, you are alive and kicking after all."

Lucas, Peyton and Verónica turned their heads towards the voice.

Peyton smiled. "M. Roe!" She jumped up almost spilling her drink to hug her friend Marilyn.

"I could kill you." Marilyn glowered at Peyton after they pulled apart. "I mean honestly would it kill you to answer an email or text every now and then. You've been completely MIA."

Peyton sighed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, it's just been crazy lately."

"Uh huh…" Marilyn huffed clearly unsatisfied with Peyton's explanation. "You look fucking fantastic by the way. As usual. I swear you get skinner every time I see you, you bitch. I really hate that."

Peyton laughed. "It's good to see you too M. Roe."

Marilyn smiled. "Lucas I totally didn't even notice you there. Hey, how are you?" She greeted noticing him for the first time. She gave him a quick hug. "It's good to see you. Also are you feeding this girl?" She teased pointing over to Peyton. "I might have some crackers in my purse."

"It's good to see you too." Lucas replied chuckling.

Marilyn had been another one of Peyton's good friends. Though Veró was Peyton's best friend in college, she had been very close to Marilyn as well. She had met Marilyn through Veró because the two had been assigned roommates their freshman year and continued to room together all throughout college. Verónica and Marilyn were exact polar opposites, not only in looks, but in personalities as well. While Verónica was model tall with dark exotic features, Marilyn was an incredibly short – barely reaching 5'1 – petite woman with extremely fair skin, platinum blonde hair and very pale blue eyes. Like Peyton she was an east coast girl, hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. Unlike Verónica who was a bit more reserved though still charming, Marilyn had a particularly sassy and loud personality. She cursed like a sailor and had no filter, basically uttering whatever was on her mind. It usually got her into a lot of trouble, which could have been a problem except for the fact that the girl didn't give a fuck. If people didn't like her that was their problem not hers. When Peyton had first met Marilyn, she reminded her a lot of Brooke, though she quickly learned that Marilyn was in another league of her own. Brooke was sassy and blunt, but she cared what people thought of her, unlike Marilyn.

"So Lucas is your brother single yet?"

Lucas laughed loudly. Every time Marilyn saw him she would ask the same question. "Nope still married to my best friend unfortunately."

"Damn." Marilyn muttered exaggerating her disappointment. "Seriously, why couldn't there be three of you? I could totally rock the last name Scott. I mean Marilyn Scott? C'mon! Not to brag, but it's kind of the best name there ever was."

Lucas, Peyton and Verónica laughed.

"You guys are so selfish for not having a third brother. So unfair." She pouted for effect before cracking a smile. "So what's new with you two?"

Lucas and Peyton both shrugged simultaneously. "Nothing really." Peyton quickly answered.

"Still living in New York." Lucas added.

"You live in one of the most amazing cities in the world and nothing's new in your lives? You guys clearly aren't taking advantage. I'd kill to live in New York."

"You'd kill for a lot of things. Just an hour ago you said you'd 'kill for a chocolate bar right about now.' " Verónica quipped. "As a friend I'm concerned."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Marilyn replied while rolling her eyes.

"So M. Roe are you seeing anyone new?" Peyton asked.

"Well had you actually read any of the emails I've sent you then you'd know that I was."

"Oh that's great!"

"I'm not anymore." The blonde replied deadpanned. "He was actually supposed to come with me to the reunion."

Peyton frowned. "Oh, sorry."

"Oh I'm not." Marilyn replied dismissively. "He was a fucking idiot and if that wasn't bad enough he had no idea how to go down on me properly. I mean dude c'mon your nearly thirty and you still don't know how to make a women come? No thank you. Next! Ain't nobody got time for that."

Verónica choked on her drink immediately, hitting her chest repeatedly until she could properly breathe again. Peyton burst out laughing, while Lucas being the gentleman that he was pretended he hadn't heard a thing.

"Wow. You know…just when I think you can't possibly top your last outrageous comment, you manage to prove me wrong each and every time." Verónica stated. "I don't even know why it surprises me anymore."

"You should know better." Marilyn scolded.

"I _really_ should." Verónica agreed.

"Well I'm sorry that didn't work out for you girl." Peyton spoke, still laughing.

Marilyn shrugged. "It's okay, I upgraded anyway, me and Veró are each other's dates. I've got the hottest girl in our class on my arm. I'm totally winning the game of life here at this reunion. All the guys are gonna be so jelly." She grinned.

Verónica playfully nodded. "It's true." She joked.

"Yea where is your husband?" Lucas asked. He liked Verónica's husband, they had always gotten along well in the past.

"Oh Sebastian is away on business. He couldn't get out of it." Veró replied.

"Where'd he go again?" Marilyn asked.

"Canada."

Marilyn cringed."Yikes. Don't envy him." She muttered.

"What's wrong with Canada?"

"It's cold and snowy." Marilyn replied shooting Veró a weird look like the answer should have been obvious.

Veró rolled her eyes.

Lucas chuckled. "You're from Boston!" He pointed out. The weather there wasn't exactly warm and sunny all the time.

"Which is why I never went back and stayed in the great sunny state of California." Marilyn announced proudly. She had ended up moving down to San Diego after college.

"Oh M. Roe, how I've missed your…ways." Peyton grinned.

"Question. Why does everyone call you M. Roe again?" Lucas inquired.

Marilyn rolled her eyes. "Oh god." She groaned. "How has Peyton not told you this already?"

Lucas shrugged. "She probably has and I just don't remember."

Marilyn groaned again. She hated this. It was embarrassing. "My last name is Monroe. That's where it comes from." She explained. "I'ma just gonna let that simmer in your head for a minute. I'll wait." She added noticing that it still hadn't clicked in for Lucas.

Lucas paused but it didn't take long before a giant smile formed over his lips. He began to laugh. "Wait a second, so you're telling me that your name is actually Marilyn Monroe? Like legally?"

Marilyn blew out breath of annoyance eventually nodding. Both Peyton and Verónica quietly snickered. They knew how much M. Roe absolutely hated telling people her real name.

He laughed even harder. "Your parents actually named you that? That's kind of crazy." He admitted.

"Yes I'm quite aware of how much my parents suck and how unoriginal they are." She muttered.

"Are they like huge Marilyn Monroe fanatics or something?"

"No, not at all! They could care less about her!" Marilyn shouted. "They just thought it would be cute. I mean who does that?!" She said in disbelief.

"I thought it was cute!" Verónica piped in.

Marilyn looked over at her friend and shook her head. "I was the first American friend you made when you moved out here. Of course you would think it was cute." She said in a disappointed tone.

Verónica pouted.

"Anyway Luke if you wanna still remain besties with me let's just stick with M. Roe." Marilyn advised.

Lucas chuckled and nodded.

"So what's a girl have to do to get a drink around here bestie? You get a drink for V and your wife, and not little old me? I thought we were closer than that."

Lucas chuckled again. "What are you having?"

"Manhattan." Marilyn replied. "Thank you!" She said waving Lucas off. "Jesus that man just gets more and more attractive each and every time I see him." She commented as she watched Lucas walk away. "I take back what I said earlier. Peyton you are clearly the one winning at the game of life right now."

"You're staring at his ass aren't you?" Peyton asked not bothering to turn around to confirm. She knew M. Roe well enough. It was all harmless fun though.

"Guilty." Marilyn replied as she returned her attention back to the girls. "You guys are going to have such wicked cute babies." She declared, her Boston accent coming out strong.

Verónica nodded in agreement. "So cute. Oooh I get dibs on godmother!"

Marilyn's head snapped over towards Verónica. "Like hell you do! Those kids are mine!" She retorted.

Peyton grinned as her two friends began to bicker back and forth about her non-existent kids. They were ridiculous and she loved them.

It was good to be back here.

* * *

Well we're in LA and things are picking up nicely! I have to admit I had a lot of fun writing some new characters in this chapter that aren't from OTH canon. It was kind of refreshing! Also 'mino' is Chilean slang for handsome man, incase you were curious to what Veró was saying.

Day two of the reunion kicks off in the next chapter and we'll learn whether or not Jake actually shows up to this thing! And more importantly how it affects Leyton.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years guys! And as always thanks for reading and supporting this fic.


	20. Edge of Desire

Reviews

 **Mia** \- That's really cool that you felt like you already knew M. Roe  & Veró. It's awesome actually because I didn't want people getting bored with it.

 **jordana60** \- I'm so glad you've picked up on how the dynamics between Lucas and Peyton are evolving. It was intentional. The awkwardness has faded, it's comfortable and their conversations are growing in substance. As for the plane scene, Luke has always played the role of the protector, so I thought it would be kind of fun to see Peyton take care of him for once, and yes it's kind of adorable that he's scared of flying.

 **Tpassions14** \- I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the new characters.

 **LeytonFan4Eva** \- Ha! I can certainly guarantee some drama in this fic, but Lindsey won't be the cause behind it.

 **Guest** \- Yes it will be pretty tricky for Peyton to keep her memory loss from her friends, but she does have Lucas to assist, so it might work! Maybe?

 **Guest** \- Whether or not Jake attends the reunion, I can promise you that he will leave his mark on Leyton by the end of the LA trip. Whether it's good or bad you'll just have to wait and see!

 **Guest** \- Thank you! Glad you loved the update.

* * *

SO don't hate me guys, BUT while writing this chapter it ended up taking a different turn than originally planned and so I had to push back the rest of the reunion/Jake's possible return for the next chapter. I needed to lay out some necessary elements before I could dive into the rest of the reunion and it kind of ended up becoming it's own chapter. On the brightside though, this chapter is EXTRA long, the longest so far in this story (though don't get used to it!), so hopefully that will make up for it and you guys won't be too disappointed for the push back.

Also I'll be changing the rating of this story to M because well...things are heating up.

Chapter Track: 'Edge of Desire' by John Mayer

* * *

Chapter 20: Edge of Desire

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – June 2009**_

" _You can officially rejoice because your favorite bitch is back in town!" Brooke graciously announced her presence, she had thrown her arms in the air showing off her best 'jazz hands'._

 _Peyton sluggishly lifted her head about half an inch to look at her best friend standing in the doorway of her bedroom before dropping her head back onto her pillow. She muttered a lazy hello and brought the covers over her face._

 _Brooke frowned. "Wow not exactly the grand reception I was envisioning." She drawled out. "Gee Brooke great to see you too." She mimicked in her best Peyton voice. "We haven't seen each other in months at least pretend to be happy to see my stunning face." Brooke made her way towards the bed, toeing off her heels along the way before plopping on Peyton's bed."You alive under there P Sawyer?" The brunette question as she ripped the covers off of her best friend's face._

" _You're here early." Peyton drawled out in annoyance._

" _It's almost noon." Brooke corrected her. "I'm surprised you're still sleeping."_

" _I didn't get much sleep last night." She mumbled before pulling herself to sit up on the bed. "How was your flight last night?" She leaned back against the headboard of her bed._

" _Good, can't really complain when you fly first class."_

" _And how's Chase?"_

 _Brooke's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She had been dating Chase Adams for almost a year now and she had never been happier. It was hands down the best relationship she'd ever had - not that she'd had many relationships, at least not long term ones. In fact this was only the second one for Brooke Davis, the other one being with Felix Taggaro, her high school boyfriend that she had dated on and off for years. They had spent more time fighting during their relationship than anything else, and the fact that they dated for so many years had been a serious lapse of judgment on her part. It had taken Brooke far too long to realize that he wasn't the guy for her. They had made more sense back in high school, but while she had grown up into a more responsible adult - and overall a better person because let's face it Brooke was as shallow as they came back then – Felix hadn't changed at all. He was still the same arrogant kid she had fallen for as a teen and unfortunately for him Brooke had outgrown him. She wasn't that same girl anymore and so Brooke had dumped him about a year and a half ago – for good this time. Then last summer during a trip back home Brooke had met Chase at Tric one night while she had been out with Bevin, Teresa and some other girls from their high school cheerleading squad. Peyton hadn't come home that summer, opting to stay in LA to work on her relationship with Jake. She had noticed him immediately from across the room and in typical Brooke fashion had shamelessly sauntered her ass over to him, laying it on pretty thick._

 _Except it didn't work on him._

 _He had rejected her just as quickly as she had appeared right in front of him. She'd been left so stunned that it took her several seconds to realize that she had actually been rejected by him – which was a first for her by the way – but by then Chase had already walked away, leaving her completely mortified, especially since all her friends had watched the entire scene unfold. When Brooke's brain finally processed the whole incident she was beyond livid. She spent the rest of the evening glaring at him from afar, but despite the hate she had for him at that moment, Brooke still wanted him. Boys had always chased after her, not the other way around, which she assumed was probably why she found this man even more appealing after his snub. Deciding she wasn't going down without a fight, Brooke sobered up a bit and approached him a second time. Well actually she had interrupted him while he had been talking to some other girl that had set her sights on him. He was pretty annoyed at her intrusion, but gave into her request for one dance, deciding it was probably the easiest way to get rid of her in the long run. They parted ways after that one dance. Brooke had been disappointed. She'd hoped that he would have at least offered to buy her a drink, but he didn't, instead politely thanking her for the dance before returning to his group of friends by the bar._

 _Towards the end of the night Brooke ended up running into Chase outside of the club as she was making her way towards the parking lot. Noticing how she was alone and the lot was poorly lit and abandoned at this late of an hour, he offered to walk Brooke to her car and asked her if she was okay to drive. Brooke reassured him she had stopped drinking some time ago and was fine to drive. They said nothing else during the short walk to her car and when she was safely inside her vehicle, Chase told her to get home safe and thanked her once more for the dance before walking away. Once he was out of sight Brooke loudly released a frustrated groan as her head fell into the steering wheel. Why the hell wasn't he into her?_

 _Brooke was sure she'd never see Chase again, but the very next day he walked into the coffee shop she was in. Knowing this was probably her last chance, Brooke who was already at the front of the line quickly ordered two coffees. Holding a cup of coffee in each hand, she approached Chase as he stood in line and held out one of the cups, thanking him for escorting her to her car last night. He refused at first, but Brooke was persistent and he eventually accepted the coffee. He thanked her for the drink before saying goodbye and exiting. Brooke blew out a breath once again feeling frustrated by his brush off, but there was nothing she could do about it. He clearly just wasn't interested. He had to be gay she concluded and with that she sat down at an unoccupied table to enjoy her coffee and go through some work emails she had been pushing off. She was typing furiously on her phone replying to an email, when she heard the empty chair next to her being dragged. She looked up, her face completely stunned to see Chase hovering over her with a light smile playing on his lips. She quickly shook her head when he asked if the seat was taken._

 _It was awkward at first after he sat down. Brooke had no idea what to do or say without coming on too strong – it was obvious to her that was what had turned him off in the first place the night before – and she didn't know how to just lightly flirt. It was kind of foreign to her, but he eventually broke the ice with some lame joke and the conversation kind of flowed from there. They saw each other every day the rest of that week before she had to return to New York. And by the end of that week Brooke had fallen for him. They kept in touch after that. Brooke knew that she was in deeper than he was, so she played it slow, waiting patiently for him. She had never just been friends first with a boy she was interested in so it was definitely different. Thankfully Brooke didn't have to wait too long because less than a month later Chase declared that he wanted more. She couldn't have been more thrilled, especially given that they hadn't seen each other since she was in Tree Hill the month before, and hell they hadn't even kissed yet. Brooke booked the first flight out back home and when Chase picked her up at the airport the very first thing she did was throw her arms around him before pulling him into a searing kiss. The second thing she did after that was say "Hi boyfriend."_

" _Oh he's good…at least I think so? We didn't do much talking last night." Brooke replied with a smug grin plastered over her face. "I'll have to ask him later." She teased sending Peyton a wink. "He's at work now."_

" _Ah so that's why you came to see me. You're bored and need to be entertained for a few hours until he gets out of work."_

" _Pretty much." Brooke nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders before breaking into a smile. "I missed you P." She wrapped her arms around Peyton and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I couldn't make your graduation."_

 _Peyton hugged her back. "It's okay, you didn't miss much. Me. Stage. Diploma. You know the drill."_

 _At least her dad had been able to make it. Seeing Jake's parents had also been nice. She had grown close to them over the years and they had been genuinely happy to see her at graduation, despite the fact that she was no longer dating their son. It had also been kind of hilarious to see the look on Nicki's face upon seeing how much Jake's parents loved his ex-girlfriend. The second that Jake's mom had spotted Peyton and her father in the crowd after the ceremony, she had dragged them over to say hello and even went as far as forcing Peyton and Jake to pose together, so that she could snap a few shots of them in their robes with their diplomas in hand. Nicki was seething the entire time, while Jake looked both absolutely mortified by his mother's behavior and terrified from the not so subtle daggers Nicki was shooting from her eyes at Peyton. Once the pictures had been taken Peyton and Larry had hightailed it out of there, bursting out into laughter the second the coast had been clear._

 _Peyton had no doubt that her ex-boyfriend probably ended up paying for that later that evening, but she couldn't deny that she was slightly smug over the fact that clearly Jake's parents preferred her over his current girlfriend. It served her right. The bitch had basically stolen Jake from her. Not that it mattered anymore really. Peyton didn't want him back, maybe at one point she had, but certainly not anymore._

 _Brooke released her. "How does it feel? Do you miss college already?"_

 _Peyton shrugged. "I don't think it's really hit me yet." She admitted. "I'm sure it will come end of summer when everyone's heading back to school. Though it is strange not being able to see my friends every day."_

 _Brooke laughed. "So now that I'm here can you please tell me more about this new mystery guy of yours?" Brooke grinned, her dimples on full display. "You've been super cryptic, which naturally makes me intrigued."_

 _A coy smile played across the blonde's lips._

 _Brooke squealed excitedly. "Oh my god! Who is this guy and how come he has you smiling like that?!" Whoever this guy was it was clearly a big deal. It had been a really long time since Brooke had seen her best friend smile like that over a guy._

 _The smile on Peyton's face grew and Brooke could have sworn that her friend's cheeks were slightly burning as well. Peyton was never this shy about confiding in Brooke about anything, especially not boys. It was a side of Peyton Brooke had never seen before, which unsurprisingly made the brunette highly suspicious. Upon closer inspection Brooke suddenly noticed that Peyton looked different, she looked completely disheveled and even though she had claimed that she was sleep deprived, Peyton looked surprisingly relaxed, almost glowing even. And Brooke Davis more than anyone recognized that glow. "Oh. My. God." She uttered in disbelief. "You had sex!" She hissed. "You slept with him didn't you!" She threw her finger at Peyton accusingly._

 _The smile on Peyton's face instantly dropped. "How the hell do you do that?!" She cried out._

" _Nevermind that!" Brooke said dismissively. "You slept with this guy!" This was a huge deal. This would be the first guy Peyton had slept with since Jake. "Didn't you just have your first date like a few days ago?!" This was so unlike Peyton. "Wow you must really like this guy." Brooke mused._

 _Peyton frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

" _Well no offense but you're kind of prude P. I mean you've only ever slept with people you've been in long term relationships with." Brooke pointed out. "And even then you waited like a year before you lost it to Nathan, and you and Jake were together for a few months before you started having sex. But this guy you've known for what a week and a half? I don't know what's more impressive this guy's game or the fact that you totally went for it! I'm proud of you girlie, go ahead and get yours!" Brooke looked over at her best friend proudly. "How was it? When did this happen?"_

 _Peyton tugged at her lower lip while smiling. There was no point in denying it now. "He came over last night and it was really, really…like…really good." She gushed. "We were just hanging out and it just kind of happened. I expected regretting it this morning, but I don't. I don't fucking regret a single second of it Brooke. He's…I've never…Lucas is unlike any other guy I've ever met."_

 _Brooke's hazel eyes widened. "Ah so mystery guy has a name I see." She teased. "Also please tell me these sheets are clean." She frowned a little realizing she was laid out on Peyton's bed._

" _I changed them after he left this morning." Peyton reassured her._

" _Oooooh so you two had a sleepover huh?" Brooke playfully kicked Peyton's leg with her foot._

 _Peyton nodded, a huge grin plastered over her face. "And it was kind of the best sex I've ever had." She suddenly confessed._

 _Brooke raised an eyebrow surprised. "Better than Jake?" She questioned hardly believing her friend's statement._

 _Peyton nodded quickly "Oh yea." She bit at her lip again. "Not that sex with Jake wasn't good because it definitely was." She quickly defended, though why she felt the need to defend Jake's bedroom moves was beyond her._

 _Brooke laughed. "But clearly this Lucas guy has some moves he's working with." The statement made Peyton blush immediately. "Okay so tell me more about Lucas. I still don't understand why you've been so hush, hush about this guy."_

 _Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "Okay I guess I was a little embarrassed to tell you who he was."_

" _And who is he exactly?" Brooke asked, her tone confused._

" _It's Nathan Scott's brother." The blonde quickly blurted out. As fun as last night had been, she still wasn't quite thrilled over the fact that she'd slept with her ex-boyfriend's estranged brother – though apparently they were super close now, which only made it worse._

 _Brooke's face scrunched up. "Nathan doesn't have a …"_

 _Peyton raised her eyebrows giving Brooke the look._ _It then dawned on Brooke who Peyton was referring to. "No way! Shut up!" She kicked Peyton again. "You're dating Dan Scott's bastard kid?"_

" _Don't call him that!" Peyton snapped angrily._

" _Whoa." Brooke threw her hands up in defense. "Wow you really do like this guy." She said in amazement. "So we're talking about the kid that Nathan dumped on for years right? That weird loner guy?"_

" _His name is Lucas." Peyton reminded Brooke. "And he's not weird." She defended. "He's just misunderstood. None of us ever took the time to really get to know him in high school."_

" _He was kind of loser Peyton, even you have to admit it."_

 _Peyton shook her head. "No he's just really deep and kind of intense I guess… and yea he's a little broody, but I…I get him."_

 _Brooke couldn't help but laugh. "Well of course you would then."_

" _Huh?"_

" _You basically just described yourself." Brooke pointed out._

 _Peyton frowned. "I do not brood!" She shouted in defense._

 _Brooke just laughed even harder. "Oh hunny you don't even believe the words that just came out of your mouth."_

 _Peyton huffed. "Well I definitely don't brood as much as I did in high school." She mumbled in defeat._

 _Brooke playfully shook her head ignoring Peyton. "So what's it like to be the only person on this earth to date both Scott brothers? Actually I could really care less about the dating part, I really just wanna know about the fu –"_

 _Peyton let out a thunderous groan before Brooke could finish that sentence. "And that's exactly why I didn't want to tell you."_

 _Brooke laughed. "Why? Because you've slept with two brothers? If anything I'm super proud and kind of jealous. Now you must tell me, which one of them is really the bigger brother?" Brooke wiggled her eyebrows suggestively._

 _Peyton groaned once more. "You're terrible."_

" _C'mon we're girls and besties, this is what we do! And don't think for a second that I'll believe that you didn't find yourself comparing the two."_

" _No I didn't because that's gross." Peyton retorted._

" _No wonder it was the best sex you've ever had, I'm sure this Lucas guy knew he needed to perform at his best considering you've already banged his brother."_

" _You're disgusting." Peyton rolled her eyes. "And this conversation is over." She said deadpanned._

" _No!" Brooke whined. "I'll be good, I'll be good. I promise." She needed more details._

 _Peyton laughed._

" _So are you guys like a couple now?" Brooke wondered because she really didn't think Peyton would just sleep with any random guy unless she could see it turning into something more down the road. Peyton wasn't an over the top romantic, still she had definitely been the more traditional out of the two friends. Though now that Brooke was actually in love for the first time ever, she could see why Peyton had been more reserved when it came to choosing sexual partners than Brooke had been in the past._

 _Peyton shook her head. "We're just kind of enjoying each other's company. I made it very clear from the beginning that I wasn't looking for anything serious. I'm not planning on staying here in Tree Hill long. I just need to figure out my next move and then I'm outta here. I told Lucas I just wanted to keep things causal between us."_

 _Brooke smirked. "Peyton Sawyer doing casual. It's like you're a whole another woman." She teased. "Have fun with it then. Everyone needs a good summer fling every now and then."_

" _Exactly."_

" _But this guy makes you happy right?" That's all Brooke cared about in the end. This last year had been kind of rough for her best friend after her relationship with Jake had ended. It was nice to see Peyton actually moving on. Brooke hadn't seen Peyton as excited towards any of the other guys she had dated since the breakup. Brooke had to meet this Lucas character. She needed to see for herself who was the guy that was making her best friend toss out all her old predictable habits and reservations when it came to dating someone new._

 _Peyton nodded. "He's smart and funny and sweet, and when I talk to him Brooke, it's like I've been talking to him my entire life. I've never felt this comfortable around a guy I'm into from the very start. I don't feel like I have to hold back at all or go out of my way to impress him. He doesn't play games either and it's kind of refreshing to be honest."_

 _Brooke smiled. "Can I meet him?"_

" _No way." Peyton didn't skip a beat with her response._

" _Why the hell not?!" Brooke began to protest in a whine._

" _Because it's still really new and we're still feeling each other out, and plus like I mentioned before this is supposed to be casual. Introducing him to my best friend seems kind of like serious territory. And I know you, you're gonna get all weird and give him the impression that this thing is more serious than it really is. I'm trying to avoid that thank you very much." As much as she liked Lucas, Peyton was determined on keeping her relationship with him strictly casual. She couldn't have anyone holding her back from leaving this place – even someone as amazing as Lucas. No she needed to focus on getting her life started, that would always come first before any guy._

 _Brooke frowned. "I'll concede for now, but this guy better be fucking hot P. Sawyer. At least get me a damn picture so I can know what this guy looks like. I barely remember him from high school."_

 _Peyton delivered a shy smile. "He's pretty hot." She admitted. "Actually no, forget hot, he's damn sexy."_

 _Brooke chuckled. "I'm happy for you Peyton. It's nice to see you excited about a boy again."_

" _It is nice." Peyton softly replied in agreement. "But let's forget about Lucas for now because I am all yours this weekend."_

 _Brooke grinned. "The B Davis and P Sawyer reunion tour has officially kicked off bitches!"_

" _So what are we doing first? Hitting the mall? Spa day?"_

" _Well actually if you must know we have an appointment with a realtor in about an hour."_

 _Peyton frowned. "Why?"_

" _Because I'm in the market for a new house and I think my new roommate should have a say in what house we'll be living in."_

 _Peyton's face dropped. "Don't toy with me. Are you being serious right now?! You're really moving back to Tree Hill?"_

 _Brooke nodded excitedly. "I miss home."_

" _What about work? You're company is based in New York."_

 _Brooke shrugged. "I'll figure something out, besides I can design anywhere."_

" _Oh my god!" Peyton shrieked before jumping on top of Brooke. "We're really gonna live together?!"_

" _I think it's the next logical step in our relationship." Brooke teased in a serious tone. "So will you Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer make me the happiest best friend on earth and do me the honor of being my loving roommate?"_

 _Peyton grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."_

* * *

 **Los Angeles, California – December 2014**

He was watching her sleep.

It was morning and he had been up for awhile now just watching her sleep. She looked calm and peaceful with her lips slightly parted, her breaths coming in nice and steady. Her face was clean of makeup and her hair was all over the place – a good chunk of it covering half of her face at the moment – and knowing her, she would probably complain of how dreadful she looked in the mornings, but to him she would always be absolutely beautiful. And right now in their hotel room, in this queen size bed, with a thin white sheet wrapped around her body, Peyton looked like a goddess to him. If he could get away with it, Lucas had no problem laying here all day and watching his goddess of a wife sleep in this bed. Though he could admit that it probably came off as a little creepy.

Not that he cared.

Peyton belonged to him anyway, so that meant he could look at his wife as much as he pleased. Plus he had caught Peyton eyeing him plenty of times, though he pretended not to notice.

But he had.

And the only reason he hadn't made it known was because he didn't want to discourage her from doing so by pointing it out. Selfishly he liked the attention. He liked that she stared at him sometimes with so much intensity. It made him feel wanted. He wanted Peyton to want him just as much as he wanted her. Actually that was a lie, he didn't want her to – he needed her to want him, he needed her to need him.

The corners of her mouth suddenly pulled up forming a small smile over her lips. Lucas smiled automatically at how cute she looked, and he secretly hoped that it was him that she was dreaming of, that he was the reason behind that smile. Peyton shifted slightly in her sleep causing the sheet around her body to fall slightly just right above her breasts, exposing her bare chest and that sun-kissed glow her skin had gained from being exposed to the California sunshine these past two days. Lucas had counted the newly formed freckles across her chest. There were six in total and she had a few more that had appeared over her shoulder blades as well. She shifted again, the sheet around her dropping a little once more, becoming dangerously close to exposing more of her.

Lucas didn't have to imagine what she looked like underneath that sheet right now. He was very much aware that she was half-naked under there, wearing only a pair of navy blue lace panties. After all it was he who had hastily removed the shirt and tiny shorts she wore to bed last night. Peyton was however more covered up then he was at the moment. There wasn't a stitch of clothing covering his skin under that sheet.

They hadn't had sex last night. Lucas made sure of that. Which was why she was still wearing those undies that had practically made his head implode the second he had pulled down her shorts. Last night had been the second time they had been intimate in some form. Since the night of their date, the pair had only stuck to exchanging heated kisses, with the occasional over the clothes groping, but nothing like that first night when Peyton had come undone underneath him as their hips pressed up and grinded against each other. Last night had been unexpected for Lucas, it was Peyton who had initiated the whole thing. When they got back from the bar Lucas was ready to drift off with Peyton in his arms, but he quickly learned that she had entirely different expectations on how they would end their night together.

They had stayed at the bar with her friends long after the alumni happy hour had ended. Over drinks and shared appetizers, she caught up with all her old friends and Lucas couldn't help notice how happy Peyton looked. She was practically glowing and it made him happy to see her that way. However, he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't been on edge the entire time. They weren't in New York anymore, which meant he couldn't keep Peyton away from Jake. He'd been dreading this moment for weeks now, the moment when his wife would reunite with her ex-boyfriend.

Lucas wasn't stupid.

He knew that though Peyton was making a genuine effort to be with him, she was still in love with Jake or at the very least still had love for him. Peyton had over four years of memories of her relationship with Jake, and she had none with him, with the exception of their very first date. And Lucas knew he couldn't compete with that. It didn't matter how many tidbits of information or pictures he shared with Peyton about their relationship because no matter how real they were to him, they were just stories to her in the end, and he couldn't compete with those very real memories of Jake. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Peyton's feelings for Jake were probably still present. Lucas was terrified that the minute Peyton saw Jake again she would forget all about him and abandon all thoughts of trying to make their marriage work.

And he couldn't just let that happen. He wouldn't.

Lucas was determined to show Peyton that he was able to fit into her world better than Jake ever did. And so for the last two days he'd been doing everything and anything Peyton's heart desired. Every little thing she wanted to do since they arrived in LA he went along with and so far they had been having an amazing time together. They were no longer awkward around each other. Everything was comfortable between them now and Lucas had taken advantage of that by showering her with endless affection. He held her hand any chance he got, peppered her face with kisses, and continuously complimented her beauty each and every time she got caught up in his embrace.

Honestly up until they'd attended the happy hour, it had felt like the two of them were just on a little couples' getaway, just like they had done countless times in the past – not that Peyton would remember any of that of course. And when they arrived at the alumni happy hour, Lucas' nerves had kicked up again and his thoughts were filled with worry. And while his main focus was on Peyton and her friends that evening, he still kept an eye out for Jake the entire time. Peyton had made the choice to be with him back in New York, but Lucas couldn't help but wonder if she'd still pick him had Jake been around. But thankfully Jake never showed up to ruin his evening.

Though it was far from over.

Just because Jake hadn't shown up last night, didn't mean he wouldn't very well make an appearance later today. He couldn't tell if Peyton had been disappointed by Jake's lack of appearance – she hadn't mentioned him at all – but she seemed happy enough to just be with her friends, and so Lucas had worked hard to bond with them throughout the course of the evening. Some of them he had already met a few times before, but there were some new faces as well. He knew it was juvenile of him, but he wanted Peyton's friends to like him better than Jake. He was well aware that this group had also been close friends with Jake during college. Lucas figured that if Peyton witnessed just how much her friends approved of their relationship, then maybe it would solidify Peyton's feelings for him. It was dumb. Lucas knew as much, but he was going to use anything he could to his advantage. No matter how utterly pathetic and insecure it made him look.

But perhaps he had been overreacting about the whole Jake thing. Because after they returned to their hotel and climbed into bed, it was crystal clear that Jake was the last thing on Peyton's mind.

 _After switching the lights off Lucas had kissed Peyton goodnight after she had tucked herself under his right arm and into his side. She had then buried her face into the crook of his neck and it wasn't long before Lucas could feel her lips pulling at his neck. She continued to suck on his neck for a good while and a groan escaped his lips when he felt her tongue gliding across his skin. His hands buried themselves in her hair and he gently tugged her upwards so that she could kiss his lips instead._

 _He had been too absorbed in that kiss to notice that her hand had left his bare chest – he didn't bother wearing shirts to bed anymore – and had quickly shoved itself underneath the waistband of his pajama pants and underwear before Lucas was able to intercept._

" _Peyton." He gruffed in warning after he felt her wrap her delicate hand around him. His hand had shot out immediately to grab her by the wrist._

 _She released a frustrated sigh and even in the dark Lucas was pretty positive that an eye roll had accompanied that sigh of hers. With his other free hand Lucas reached over to switch on the lamp on the nightstand. "What?" Peyton gently whispered while sending him a coy look._

 _As if she didn't know._

" _You know very well what." He clicked his tongue suddenly feeling anxious. Her hand was still firmly wrapped around him. He could feel himself already starting to react. "We still haven't talked about how far we're taking all of this." He replied reminding her that they never did get around to having that conversation on boundaries. It wasn't like he didn't want the intimacy, but it'd be stupid to just jump in like this. Lucas had no idea how deep Peyton's feelings were for him at the moment. Peyton wasn't exactly an open book - she had never been so. Lucas knew that the majority of the time it was like pulling teeth to get Peyton to admit how she really felt when it came to discussing more personal matters. If there was one thing she hated the most, it was being vulnerable – that was something that Lucas had been unable to alter despite all their years together. He had accepted this part of Peyton a long time ago, but sometimes it really did piss him off that unlike him, she wasn't always so naturally comfortable confiding in him without a second's thought. But he still loved her just the same._

" _What's there to talk about?" She gave him a small smile. "You want me. I want you." She emphasized her point when her hand gave him a firm squeeze._

 _Lucas' eyes closed shut and he grunted. "Peyton." He warned once more with clenched teeth._

 _It was an empty threat. They both knew it. Although he had her by the wrist, he hadn't made any moves to pull her hand away from his pants. He just held her hand there, firmly in place so that she was unable to move it._

 _Peyton placed a soft kiss behind his ear. "Fine, no sex then." She whispered giving in. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner she could go back to touching him as planned._

" _Huh?" He was surprised she had just spit it out like that._

" _No sex until we're both ready." She clarified. "But that doesn't mean there aren't other things we can't do in the meantime right?" She kissed the same spot behind his ear again. "I don't think I can handle not being able to touch you any longer Lucas, and if you're completely honest with yourself I just know you feel the same." Her voice was low and raspy. She was trying to seduce him and they both knew it._

 _It was working too._

 _He wanted to laugh. Not because her attempts were funny. It was because she wasn't wrong, in fact she was far from it. She was absolutely right. His hands had been itching to get reacquainted with her body for some time now._

" _Agreed?" Peyton spoke again since he had yet to comment._

 _Her hand squeezed his length again and his throat went dry. Lucas had imagined this conversation being much more lengthy and in-depth, and he most certainly never imagined that it would be taking place while Peyton's hand was wrapped around his dick, but clearly she was in a hurry and had no desire to drag this out. He caught himself almost laughing out again._

" _Luke it's okay." She was in his ear again reassuring him. "Let me take care of you." She gently tugged at his earlobe with her teeth. "I want this. So badly."_

 _The need in her voice let him know that it wasn't a lie and he knew it wasn't the alcohol talking either. Peyton didn't really drink that much tonight. She had nursed two drinks the entire evening and had one shot of tequila with the girls, and that wasn't nearly enough to get Peyton Sawyer drunk. She was sober with a clear head and more importantly she wanted him right here and right now. She wanted no one else but him, and Lucas couldn't deny that it was a nice ego boost after spending most of the night being plagued by insecurities and troubling thoughts of losing her to another man._

" _Don't you want me to touch you?" At this point she was practically begging for him to cave. Also when did her voice get so damn sexy? "Let go of my hand babe." She roughly commanded. "Please."_

 _So he did._

 _Lucas couldn't deny how good her hand felt tightly wrapped around him. He missed her touch and he was horny, so why the hell not? The hand around her wrist loosened, a sign that he was clearly on board now. Peyton smirked at her success and began to stroke him slowly, while her mouth returned to his neck. He sucked in his teeth as she continued to steadily move her hand up and down, him growing harder with each delivered stroke. Eventually his hand fell away completely from Peyton's wrist allowing her to speed up her movements. When he grew completely hard under her hand, Peyton released her grip and pulled her hand out from underneath his pants. She sat up on her knees and Lucas gave her an incredulous look wanting to know why the hell she had stopped so abruptly._

 _She wasn't seriously just going to stop now, was she? That would just be cruel._

 _He soon got his answer observing Peyton ripping off the covers and reaching over to pull down his pants. He eagerly assisted her in the removal of his pajama bottoms, followed by his boxer briefs, behaving like some impatient teenage boy about to receive his first handjob. They didn't fail to see the humor in the situation and both chuckled lightly before sharing a smile._

 _Peyton took a second to admire all of him now that she was seeing him completely nude for the first time. She smirked at him, her playful way of letting Lucas know that she approved. He chuckled lightly once more and she couldn't help but do the same. His hand tugged at Peyton's shirt pulling her forward so that she was laying beside him again and while he delivered feverish kisses, her hand traveled south claiming him once more. She ran her thumb all around and across the tip making his hips buckle sporadically before wrapping her hand around him, stroking him once more. Her strokes fell into a steady pace, while his throat released a steady echo of grunts that fell into her mouth while their lips remained locked._

 _Lucas pulled his lips away about an inch to speak. "Slow down baby." He begged, his voice growing thick and heavy, virtually breathless at this point. He was unbelievably close far too quickly, but then again it had been a couple of months since she'd touched him like this, and despite the few times he had taken care of business in the shower recently, it still never felt quite as good as this. It didn't even compare._

 _Peyton ignored him of course, because she was stubborn like that. Instead she did the exact opposite and quickened her movements causing Lucas' groans to grow louder and more erratic. Pretty soon he lost what little control he had left and began thrusting into her hand, while his hands had kept themselves busy by tightly gripping her butt._

" _Fuck." Lucas cursed out nearing his end, his brain solely focused on him reaching release. She then captured his lips releasing her own moans of satisfaction, making it known that he wasn't the only one enjoying this. Getting him off was turning her on and that only resulted in turning him on even more._

 _Peyton tightened her grip and stroked harder. She knew Lucas was pretty close and sure enough he found his release seconds later, spilling all over her hand. She rubbed him gently a few more times for good measure, and then released him before leaving a trail of several well placed kisses along his jawline. Lucas reached for her while his eyes were still closed, his chest rose and fell rapidly, and his heartbeat was all over the place. She couldn't help but laugh at the giant smirk plastered across his face and Lucas smiled even harder when he heard the sound of her laugh._

 _She dropped a kiss over his lips and he kissed her back. He then lazily reached a hand back to grab a few tissues on the nightstand before handing them over to Peyton. He looked slightly embarrassed, much like a child would, after she accepted the tissues he offered and wiped down her hand. He looked cute and kind of innocent. It was adorable._

 _When she was done, Lucas took the tissues from her hand and tossed them in the trash. He sat up pulling Peyton with him. With one of his hands cupping the side of her face, while the other sat at her hip, Lucas pulled the blonde into another kiss. Peyton eagerly kissed him back and when he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, she couldn't stop the moan emitting from the back of her throat. She loved the feel of his tongue against hers and he always tasted good too. Right now Lucas tasted like the peanut butter chocolate bar he had picked up and snacked on during their way back to the hotel from the bar._

 _When they pulled apart Lucas began tugging on her shirt. "I want this off." He told her softly, but his tone made the words sound more like a question then a statement. He was seeking her permission._

 _Peyton didn't respond with words. Instead she stretched her arms out right above her head and Lucas proceeded to slowly peel the shirt off her torso and over her head. He carelessly tossed the shirt behind his shoulder where it landed somewhere on the floor. He ran his hands up and down the sides of her stomach and then used his thumbs to slowly trace the underside of her bare breasts causing Peyton to involuntarily shiver from his touch. She had always been a bit ticklish._

 _He kissed her again, while gently pushing her backwards until her back hit the bed. Peyton dug her hands into the back of Lucas' hair pulling him even closer, while he bit down hard on her bottom lip, capturing her cry into his mouth. He eventually pulled back again causing Peyton to pout up at him. "These come off too." He boldly announced while his hands began tugging at the hem of her shorts not bothering to wait for the go-ahead this time. As he pulled them down Peyton lifted her hips off the bed to help him out. Just like her shirt, Lucas tossed the shorts over the bed not caring where they landed._

" _Jesus." He drawled out once he got a good look at how unbelievably sexy his wife looked right about now. "You just had to wear those panties tonight, didn't you?" He swallowed hard. She was wearing the lacey ones that hugged her hips to perfection. He liked it when she wore any of her lace underwear. It drove him crazy. His fingers played with the edge of the lace as he debated what to do next._

" _Is something wrong?" Peyton called out a minute later noticing his hesitation. He seemed frozen in place and suddenly she felt extremely self-conscious about her body. She flinched throwing her arms over her chest, covering herself up._

 _Lucas' face fell. "Hey no, you're perfect." He reassured her as he gently returned her arms to her sides. "Don't cover yourself up okay?" He whispered in her ear. "I love your body. You're beautiful." She relaxed when he leaned over to kiss her._

" _Why did you stop then?" Peyton couldn't help but ask._

 _Lucas smiled shaking his head. "'I'm just trying not to lose control here." He confessed causing her to smile. "As much as I want to rip these off you…" He ran a finger lightly across her underwear and she shivered again. "I think the panties have to stay on." His self-control was practically non-existent right now and since they had just agreed on withholding sex, there was no way Lucas would be able to stick to that agreement if they came off. He was a patient person – no one could argue that – but he was still a man after all, a man with needs and a half-naked woman laying right in front of him. Lucas was wise enough to recognize that when it came to Peyton he was weak and completely at her mercy. So yes, her underwear would be staying on tonight._

 _She raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She sounded disappointed._

 _His mouth was back at her ear again. "Because then there'll be nothing left to stop me from burying myself inside of you." He growled in her ear._

 _Peyton swallowed hard. That was by far the hottest thing Lucas had ever whispered into her ear. She had to hand it to him, he was absurdly good at dirty talk. Something she had never expected from just looking at him, but it was a pleasant surprise. "Okay." She said in a daze, while her throat had gone dry._

 _At this point she would do whatever Lucas wanted as long as he continued to talk to her like that._

 _She sighed happily when she felt him place a kiss over the top of her underwear, directly over her tiny bundle of nerves. He then continued to place one after another, slowly working his way up to her stomach, taking extra care over the colored bruises left behind from her accident. When Lucas reached her navel he dipped his tongue inside and she shuddered right away. She then felt that same tongue run its way upwards reaching the valley of her breasts. He stayed in that area for some time, giving each of them his full attention with his mouth, while she completely lost her mind from his efforts and gripped his hair the entire time. Then he was kissing her chest, stopping to nibble and suck at her collarbone. And then he was at her neck, latching on and attacking her skin almost frantically, while she whimpered in his ear as one of his hands curved around her left breast._

 _Eventually Lucas abandoned her neck and sought out Peyton's lips, plunging his tongue into her mouth, taking his time to explore its entirety. His tongue pushed against hers and then she gasped into his mouth after feeling the palm of his hand cup her over her panties. He cupped her with a little more force this time and she gasped again, while wrapping her legs around him. Lucas could feel how absolutely soaked her panties were at this point. It was crystal clear to him that she really had enjoyed touching him before. The thought of that had Lucas growling as he bit down hard on Peyton's bottom lip. She whimpered at his sudden aggression, but funny enough she wasn't opposed to the brief sting from the bite, instead she found that her body's heat increased in temperature. Her skin was on fire. It was harder to breathe with his hand down there, the thin material of her underwear serving as a lousy barrier. His palm gripped her even tighter, and when his index and middle fingers slid up and pressed down on her tiny nub, Peyton's hips buckled and she moaned out his name._

 _Lucas delivered a hard kiss making sure to suck at both her lips before releasing them. He pressed down harder on her button and he heard her call out his name again. He reattached his lips to her neck. He bit down on her skin, ran his tongue over the bite and then covered it with his mouth, sucking down profusely. It felt like he was literally trying to suck the very essence out of her body and soon Peyton felt a thin layer of sweat start to form over her body._

 _His fingers continued to apply additional pressure, but she wanted more. "Lucas." Peyton barely managed to breathe out. "More." She begged. Deciding that he had teased her long enough, Lucas obeyed and his fingers began to rotate over the same spot. His movements on her were slow and lazy at first. He was building her up as she quietly released a mixture of moans and whimpers while his fingers continued to work her over. When he heard her breath hitch Lucas took it as his cue to speed things up, gradually increasing both the pressure of his fingers and the speed of its rotation bit by bit._

 _Peyton was gasping for air now and she rocked her hips against his hand increasing the friction, while her hands were still buried underneath his short locks and his mouth was still firmly attached over her neck. When Lucas increased the speed again she had to bite back her lip from practically yelling out his name. This was it. She was right there and it was feeling a hundred times better than that other night back in New York. But of course it felt better, he was actually using his hands this time. When Lucas bit down on her neck again Peyton lost it. She tugged rather harshly at his hair and cried out his name again. When she finally came back down from her high, it still took a couple of minutes for her breathing to return to normal before she could make a move to kiss him sweetly._

They both fell into a deep sleep fairly quickly after that. And now here he was admiring her sleeping figure, while his brain replayed last night over and over. He was almost ashamed to admit that he already wanted her hands tracing along every inch of his body again, and he wanted to do the same to hers. It had only been a few hours.

He observed Peyton shift in her sleep again, turning her body over so she wasn't facing him anymore. Taking the opportunity, Lucas turned on his side, swinging his left leg over and tangling it with hers. His arm slipped under hers and wrapped itself over her stomach. Smoothing her curls aside, he then pressed his face at the back of Peyton's neck and dropped a kiss there as well. "Wake up sleepy head." He mumbled into her neck. It was late into the morning and they had to start getting ready soon if they were going to make it on time today.

Peyton stirred once more and automatically pressed her back against his chest upon feeling his body heat. He groaned loudly when she did that. He had briefly forgotten that he wasn't wearing anything at the moment and there she was rubbing her ass – still covered in that flimsy lace material by the way – all over his semi-hard dick.

He had to pull away and he was not happy.

"Where did you go?" Peyton croaked the complaint, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She turned on to her front propping her elbows up on the bed, allowing her to slightly lift herself up as she turned her head over towards him.

Lucas groaned as he rubbed his hands over his face. "You're making this hard." He complained.

Her lips puckered out in confusion. She was still a little out of it from just waking up, but then she looked over at Lucas' tortured expression and then down to the white sheet just barely hanging off his hip. She sent him an all-knowing smirk. "The situation or just you?" She teased.

He groaned again. "Both." He mumbled making her laugh loudly.

"Should I keep my hands to myself from now on then?" She questioned innocently.

"Hell. No." Lucas spat out at once. "It's far too late for that and you made damn sure of that." He accused speaking in a playful tone.

She laughed again. "I have no idea what you're getting at." She taunted him again.

Lucas then reached out to her making Peyton squeal as he dragged her body towards him and gently kissed her.

"Mmmmh." Peyton mumbled through his lips.

"What?" He wondered.

She smiled. "You still taste a little like chocolate."

Lucas laughed against her lips pressing them together once more. "We gotta start getting ready if we're gonna make that champagne brunch." He announced. "It's already past ten."

Peyton nodded. The brunch started at noon, so they really did need to start getting a move on things. "I really don't wanna get up though."She whispered before running her fingers across his chest.

Lucas clasped a hand over her trailing fingers. "Nice try." He shook his head even though he was in complete agreement about not wanting to get out of bed. "You know damn well M. Roe will come barging through every room in this hotel looking for you if we don't show up today."

Peyton chuckled. "She is kind of a pain that way."

Lucas nodded. "I'll shower first." He told her. "You can stay in bed a little longer."

Peyton beamed. "I knew there was a reason I must have married you." She teased, but he really was the sweetest.

A crooked smile formed on his lips. "I think after last night you have more than one reason as to why. You certainly screamed my name out enough times."

Her face turned red immediately. "You go take a shower." She muttered not before burying her head under the covers. Peyton heard Lucas laugh as she felt him jump out of bed and tread over towards the bathroom. She quickly poked her head out just in time to see Lucas' bare behind disappear into the bathroom.

Now she could add one more thing to the list of things about Lucas that she had grown fond of.

Because the man most certainly had a very nice ass.

* * *

"LUCAS!" Peyton shrieked.

Seconds later she came barging through the bathroom.

"What?! What is it?!" Lucas yelled out in a terror. He almost slipped in the shower as he went to pull the curtain back. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" He questioned from the shower as he looked over at Peyton. She had thrown her t-shirt back on, her underwear still on full display. Lucas became distracted and stared down at those long legs he loved so much.

"I am going to kill you." She glowered, his full attention snapping back at her face.

Lucas gulped. Peyton did not look happy and he was pretty sure why. "What?" He said innocently.

Peyton narrowed her eyes at him. "You know damn well what." She snapped. "Just look at this!" She exclaimed pointing to the side of her neck. There in plain sight was a huge nasty looking hickey on the side of her neck.

Lucas shrugged holding back a laugh. "You didn't seem to mind last night." He said pointedly. Though even he had to admit that he had gone a little overboard with his love bite, but he wasn't about to admit that to her.

That was clearly the wrong answer based on the dirty look Peyton sent him.

Peyton stomped over towards the bathroom mirror. "Do you have any idea how impossible covering this up will be?!" She barked at him, while leaning over the sink to get a better look through the mirror. It was huge and purple, and the bite marks were unmistakable. She didn't even know where to begin covering this up.

"Honestly who cares? You're mine anyway, big fucking deal."

Peyton pulled back from the mirror, turning her face over to glare at him. "Wow I didn't realize I was a thing that belonged to you." She rolled her eyes.

Lucas sighed. "You know what I meant." He defended. "We're together. I'm yours too."

Peyton shook her head at him. She was still mad. "Well you didn't have to bite so hard." She said sounding aggravated by his lack of remorse. Also she could have sworn there was a hint of cockiness to his words.

"I don't care who sees it." Lucas spoke coolly. "It's there for a reason." He added cryptically.

Her eyes narrowed at him again. "And exactly what reason would that be?"

"You enjoyed it." Lucas simply offered up looking slightly smug about it.

Peyton stared at Lucas from across the room completely dumbfounded for a moment as the wheels in her head began to turn. Her eyes widened realizing that he really had done this on purpose. But why in the world would Lucas want people to see a hickey on her neck?

It then hit her that this wasn't aimed for just _everyone_ to see but for _someone_ specifically. "Is this about Jake?" She accused. It made sense. Lucas had just mentioned that she belonged to him and perhaps he wanted to make it known to her ex-boyfriend as well.

Lucas said nothing. Instead he wordlessly closed the curtain around him and went back to his shower as if she hadn't said anything at all. That was a good enough answer as far as Peyton was concerned. Lucas was clearly jealous and so he had blatantly marked her neck. She assumed it was his way of claiming her because he must have felt threatened.

Peyton had noticed that Lucas had been acting a little off last night at the happy hour. She had caught him several times glancing around the room as if he were looking for someone. It all made sense now. He had been keeping an eye out for Jake. It seems that he wasn't that okay with her plans to reconnect with Jake after all. But it was far little too late for that. She wasn't derailing from her plans in the slightest when it came to speaking with Jake. Lucas would just have to deal with it and honestly there was no need to be jealous. He had nothing to worry about. The past two days they had spent together in LA had been really great – so great in fact that Peyton hadn't really thought about Jake at all. She hadn't even been upset when Jake was a no-show last night. And if that was the case again today, so be it.

That being said, she sure didn't appreciate Lucas' underhanded display of marking his territory in plain sight. That shit was not cool. Her being here wasn't about Jake at all, it was about her. And frankly she was a little disappointed that Lucas hadn't been able to get that. On the other hand she could also understand why the thought of Jake troubled him. Peyton hadn't exactly welcomed Lucas with open arms after her accident. But her feelings for Jake weren't as powerfully overwhelming as they had been when she first woke up in the hospital. She had started making room for Lucas now and Peyton thought she had been putting her best efforts forward to show him that, but apparently it wasn't enough.

Peyton sighed sadly. She felt torn between wanting to reassure Lucas of her feelings and telling him how pissed off she was at his behavior, because though she was pretty sure that he never intended it to be, it really was a clear sign of disrespect towards her. They had taken the physical part of their relationship to a new level and he took advantage of that. It was upsetting really. However, the last thing she wanted to do was get into an argument right now. So she made the decision to put that conversation on hold for the time being and found herself wanting to send Lucas a little bit of faith his way, despite how displeased she was with him at the moment.

Peyton moved towards the shower, standing behind the closed curtain. "You know...ever since we got to LA I've…" She sighed heavily. "I've thought of no one else but you." She confessed softly, though the sadness and disappointment in her tone could not be missed.

From inside the shower Lucas swallowed hard at her words. He practically ripped the shower curtain off desperately wanting to see Peyton's face. "Peyton I'm…" Lucas stopped mid-sentence and his heart sunk when his eyes were met with an empty room. She had quietly slipped out of the room right under his nose.

He felt awful. He had fucked up and he knew it.

* * *

Lucas put the car in park and turned off the ignition. It had been a quiet and awkward car ride from their hotel to the UCLA campus. Peyton had just stared out the passenger side window the entire ride and Lucas was reduced to turning on the radio in a sad attempt to drown out the stifling silence between them. He watched her unbuckle her seatbelt and reach for the door handle. He didn't want the rest of the day to be like this and so his arm shot out to stop her. "I'm sorry." He apologized with his hand over her shoulder.

Peyton shifted her body to face his. She said nothing evidently waiting for him to continue. A simple apology wasn't going to cut it. She was beyond annoyed at him even if she hadn't said as much. The fact that they were pretty late to this alumni brunch wasn't working in his favor. She had ended up icing the side of her neck for a good while and then it had taken her some time to decently cover up the hickey with makeup. She managed to do a good enough job that you really couldn't notice anything on her neck unless you got really close. She'd also brought along a thin scarf just in case that failed to work.

"I'm sorry about your neck. It won't happen again." Lucas apologized again. "Please don't be mad Peyt." He pleaded.

Peyton huffed. "It's not what you did Lucas. It's why you did it. That's what I'm upset about."

Lucas slowly nodded. "I know, I know."

"Last night was supposed to mean something."

"It did!" He immediately defended. "You know it did."

"Between just us." She clarified. "And not for anyone else, and then you go and take advantage of that moment between us. You manipulated it into some sort of pissing contest between someone you haven't even seen or spoken to since high school. That's not right Lucas and on top of that it's kind of humiliating that I have to walk around like this."

Lucas rubbed his temple furiously. He wanted to fix this, but he didn't know what the right words were. The last thing he wanted to do was say the wrong things and make it worse. "I'm sorry Peyton, what more can I say? But you can't honestly believe that last night meant nothing to me? You have to believe me. It wasn't some type of scheme or anything. You were the one who came on to me last night." He gently reminded her. "It was a bad judgment call. I get that now."

Peyton took in a deep breath. "I know you're sorry." Even through her anger deep down inside she knew Lucas was sorry. Actually it wasn't that she was angry – yes she was peeved at his actions, but mostly she was just hurt by them. "Just like I know you weren't trying to be malicious or anything in your intent. You're not that type of person. I know that Lucas, but I just really need you to understand where I'm coming from. I feel so…disrespected. Look I know that this situation with Jake isn't ideal, but that doesn't give you the right to prop me out like some prize you won. I'm a person Lucas, not a tool to ease your jealously or establish your alpha status."

"I messed up." He admitted. "Last night it was me that you wanted. Just me. Not him. And everything felt incredible, you felt incredible, and then I got swept up in those thoughts. I'm afraid of losing you to him." He breathed out. "That you'll get one good look at him and then forget all about me. About us." He added quietly.

Peyton huffed loudly. "I'm not gonna go off gallivanting into the night with him Lucas." She wanted to tell Lucas that he was thinking like a crazy person, but that would probably make matters worse. She couldn't blame him for feeling the way he did. It was no one's fault really, it was just the situation they had found themselves in as a result of her accident. "And I wouldn't just forget."

Lucas sighed. He didn't want to call her a liar, but the truth was that neither of them would really know what would happen until Peyton was in the same room with Jake. She could deny it all she wanted, but it was the hard truth. It still however didn't excuse Lucas from leaving that huge bruise behind for his own selfish purposes. "I didn't do it on purpose at first. I really was just lost in that moment between us and you did seem to really like it."

"I did." She reassured him softly. Once again she was trying to make clear that it wasn't what he did, but why he did it that bothered her so damn much.

"And then I don't what happened, but suddenly the thought of you possibly wanting him or saying his name instead of mine drove me crazy. I fucking lost it and I took it too far. It was like my mouth had a mind of its own. You're not wrong I did want to mark you and I wanted him to see it. It was intentional towards the end." His blue eyes looked over at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. You're right, I shouldn't have used you like that. I made it about him, instead of us, but only up until that point I swear. I was right there with you the rest of the time. It was just us."

She nodded not doubting his sincerity. "It's not like I'm morally opposed to hickeys or anything." She teased trying to lighten the mood after a long pause had passed. "Maybe next time just do it for the right reasons okay?" Forgiving him was easier than she expected and oddly enough Peyton was okay with that. The car ride over had been miserable and she hated every second of it. It was kind of funny how much things had changed between them. During her stay at the hospital she had been completely okay with them speaking as little as possible, in fact she had gone out of her way to avoid him. But now Peyton couldn't even stand the thought of them not speaking.

He chuckled. "That sounds fair."

"So are we okay?" Lucas asked after a short pause.

Peyton hesitated for a second before she nodded. "We're okay, BUT there is something else I feel like I need to put out there."

He was suddenly very nervous. "Did I just completely ruin all the progress we've made?"

Peyton scoffed. "Of course not."

"No?" He spoke looking relieved. "I haven't pushed you away then?"

She shook her head. "Of course not." She repeated. "When I said I wanted you last night, I meant it."

Lucas couldn't help the small smile that crept over his lips. "What is it then?" He questioned as his shoulders relaxed.

She exhaled deeply before taking in another deep breath. "Recently I can't help but think that maybe it's you that's not ready for things to move forward between us."

He closed his eyes and shook his head not understanding.

"What I mean is that you're always trying to make sure that I'm okay with every little thing that goes on between us and that's sweet and all. And yea your right I should be absolutely sure when it comes to us before getting in too deep because hurting you is the _last_ thing I want, but I think you're ignoring that maybe you're not exactly ready either."

"I'm ready. I'm just here patiently waiting for you. My feelings for you have never changed." He said rather confidently.

Peyton sent him a soft smile. "Patiently waiting for me or for the person I was before?"

Lucas paused frowning. "Is there a difference?" He still wasn't getting it.

"Listen there's no point in pretending that I'm the only one deeply affected by my accident. I may be the one with the physical scars, but that accident left its scars on you too. I may have survived that crash, but you still ended up losing the person you loved and naturally you want her back. I can't fault you for that."

"Peyton –" Lucas began to protest.

She stopped him. "I get it okay? It's hard for you. It must be. You don't have the same life you had three months ago and I didn't exactly make things easy for you when I first woke up. But I need you to want to be with me. Not the person I was before, but who I am now, which I know probably doesn't make any sense because how could I not be the same person? But it just is, I just feel different. I don't know how to explain it, but I just do. And you need to start accepting that I might not ever be her again."

"Whoa. Can we just back up for a second here?" Lucas shook his head again. "I don't understand where this is even coming from."

She took in a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you. When I saw Dr. Parker earlier this week he…he doesn't seem very optimistic about my memory returning."

Lucas' eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He let out a bit too harshly. "You _just_ had a memory return and why am I just hearing about this now?"

She wore a sad smile now. "He said that I could still get things back, but by now most patients would have recovered several memories, not just one."

"How could you not tell me that?" He said looking hurt. "I asked you about it that same day."

"I'm sorry." She placed a hand over his and was relieved he hadn't pulled away. "I didn't want to tell you over the phone while you were in Chicago and things had just gotten so good between us. I didn't want to ruin it. You were so happy when I remembered…I could tell you gotten your hopes up that I'd be back to the old Peyton again. I knew you'd be disappointed when I told you the truth."

Luca swallowed hard. As much as he hated to admit it, Peyton wasn't wrong. For the past week he had been hanging on to that little shred of hope that things would be back to the way they were now that she had started to remember things. "You should have told me."

"I know. You just seemed so happy." She sighed sadly. "Dr. Parker also said that the more time that passes without me remembering stuff, the more unlikely I will remember."

"I'm still happy." He told her. "I've got you. I'm not gonna stop loving you just because things can't be the way they were before. And if that turns out to be the case then we'll deal with it when the time comes." Lucas reassured her, though he still had hope that his Peyton wasn't lost forever.

"No Lucas I need you to start accepting this now." She said sternly. "I've accepted the possibility and you need to as well. We're not gonna get far if you don't let her go. I need you to let the old me go." She knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it needed to be said.

His face paled and she shook her head realizing she wasn't explaining this correctly. It was hard to find the right words she was feeling that would make sense out loud. When she spoke again, she spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I'm not saying you have to forget or let go of what we had, it's important obviously, but you have to start accepting that the relationship we have now is new and in many ways completely separate from before. I can't compete with trying to live up to what we had before. It just messes with my head. I wanna focus on the relationship we're trying to build now, not the past. We shouldn't be weighed down by that. Does that make any sense, at all?"

Lucas looked down at his lap hard in thought, his hands both tightening into fists. "I don't think I'm ready to let that part of us go just yet. To be honest I don't see myself ever being able to do that." He admitted. "I can't help but be hopeful. I can't just give up on what we had." He wanted her either way. Of course he wanted her whether her memory returned or not, but maybe a small part of him was being overly cautious because it would be easier in the end if they just waited this thing out. If they just waited for her to remember then they wouldn't have to deal with this tortuous process of her getting to know him again. He loved Peyton and loved how wonderful things were between them now, but at the same time he hated this. He hated all of it. He just wanted her back, all of her. This current version of them failed in comparison to what they had before. Lucas knew it was a horrible thing to think and a selfish one at that, but it was true. Lucas didn't want to start from scratch. He didn't want to wait on Peyton to fall in love with him all over again. He just wanted her to already be there. He wanted the past to be his present once again. "I guess you're right then, maybe I'm not ready after all." He mumbled quietly, almost shamefully.

"Hey that's okay." She said as Lucas lifted his head to look back at her. She gently ran a hand over the side of his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I wouldn't expect you to and it'd be unfair to you. All I ask is that you start heading towards accepting it. I know one day you'll be ready and I will too. I just don't want us to start resenting each other down the road if I never end up getting all my memories back. I know how much you miss her and want her back, but if she doesn't come back then I need to know that I'm still enough for you. That I'm good enough. Otherwise what's the point of all this?"

"You will be. You are." Lucas quickly reassured her. "You'll always be enough. I promise." His hands went to her face, hastily pulling her forward as his lips crashed against hers. She took her time enjoying the feel of his lips over hers. She swore she could feel every single thing Lucas felt for her through that kiss.

His love sent sparks throughout her entire body.

* * *

So in this chapter we got a deeper look into Lucas' insecurities and in the next chapter we'll see how that continues to play out.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this one.

Until next time!


	21. Suspicious Minds

Reviews

 **kookie** \- Welcome new reader! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

 **Chilarie07** \- And another new reader! Welcome, glad to have you on board for this Leyton journey! Yeah I think it's too hard and probably impossible for Lucas to ever really let go of the relationship he had with Peyton prior to her accident and in some ways she's being a little selfish in asking him to do that. But she's still learning how to navigate this whole being married thing, so it's a bit struggle for her because she's used dealing with problems on her own and not as a unit.

 **Tpassions** \- Glad you loved the chapter! Things are about to get a lot more honest between these two. If it's for better or worse, well you'll just have to wait and see.

 **thibbs65** \- Your welcome! I really still can't believe how long that last chapter was. Thanks for reading.

 **jordana60** \- Well I'm glad you don't hate me! It's funny because when I realized that I'd have to push back the rest of the reunion a chapter, you were the first subscriber I thought about who would probably not be thrilled! lol I just know how long you've been waiting for this part of the story, but thanks so much for your patience, amazing reviews and being such a loyal reader and reviewer! You're probably right, it's far too late for those two to protect their hearts. There real question is how long it will take for both of them to figure that out! They both have such differing perspectives and expectations over their current relationship, so we'll see how long it'll take for both of them to really be on the same page. Because despite their talk in that car in the last chapter, they really aren't on the same page, not even remotely close.

 **leyte** \- Thank you! Thanks for reading!

 **simplyaprillyn** \- I'm glad you're loving these last few chapters. The reunion chapters have actually been very difficult for me to write (the most difficult of this story so far), which is why it's been taking a little longer for me to post updates. It's been tough and I'm glad to hear how much everyone has been enjoying them. I really didn't want to let you guys down! The flashbacks to this story are absolutely my favorite thing to write. I have so many ideas and it's been so fun weaving together Leyton's history before the accident. As for the movie the Vow, no I don't think I'll be borrowing anything else really. I just wanted to take the basic concept of the story and make it my own. But if you do have some suggestions based on the movie feel free to send me a private message.

 **itsnjm1** \- Aww you are too sweet! Thank you, that means alot!

 **Annie** \- I couldn't have said it better myself: "deep down they are still the same LP memory or no memory." That's exactly how I feel.

 **Guest** \- Flashbacks are my jam in this story. There's another one featured in this chapter so enjoy!

 **Guest** \- Oh thank you so much! It makes me so happy that you consider this little ol' story of mine to be among your favorites. I'm honored.

 **Guest** \- I really wanted to give you guys more of Lucas' thoughts and feelings for some time now. He acts pretty brave for Peyton's sake, but he's just as full of insecurities as she is at this point. It was also good for Peyton to see that Lucas is far from perfect, even he has his limits, and up until this point she has been pretty naive about this, but that's mostly Lucas' fault too for holding back his feelings. If you thought that last chapter was intense, prepare yourself for the next couple of chapters.

* * *

I've got plenty to say about this chapter, but I'll save it til the end. Enjoy guys!

Chapter Track: 'Suspicious Minds' by Elvis Presley

* * *

Chapter 21: Suspicious Minds

 ** _Los Angeles, California – October 2008_**

" _Hello?"_

" _He's with her." She blurted out through tears the second Brooke had picked up the phone._

" _Huh?" Brooke responded. "What are you talking about?" Her voice was full of concern, her best friend didn't sound so good._

" _Jake." Peyton choked out. "He's dating…her."_

 _All the way back in New York City Brooke's heart sunk for her best friend and all the pain she was feeling. Brooke knew this couldn't be easy for Peyton. "Oh sweetie, I am so sorry."_

" _How could he just do that to me? I mean it's barely been two months since we broke up!" She angrily cried. "How could he just move on that fast? I'd thought he'd still be missing me …and here like an idiot I've been missing him a lot lately. God I'm such an idiot."_

 _Peyton was a sobbing mess as she went into detail about the encounter she had with Jake and Nicki less than an hour ago. After class she had headed to the dining hall for a quick snack and happened to see Jake. It had been maybe almost two weeks since the last time they had bumped into each other. The UCLA campus was pretty big, so it wasn't that much of stretch that she never saw him around. Though she had also noticed he hadn't even been attending most of the parties that their friends went to, which she found odd, unless he had been going out of his way to avoid her, which she seriously doubted. Yes they broke up, but they didn't hate each other, despite the awkwardness._

 _She had been thinking about Jake a lot recently. She missed him. Lately she'd been doubting their decision to call it quits. What if they had given up too soon? Could they really just walk away from four plus years that easily? She had been dying to reach out to him too, but had punked out every time she was about to dial his number. She had no idea where his head was at and she would never know unless she asked. So after spotting Jake, she decided that maybe it was time they had a talk. She wouldn't bring up the possibility of getting back together, but if they just had a normal conversation together then maybe it would allow Peyton to at least feel out the situation between them. She marched over to him before she could chicken out this time._

 _When she greeted him, he looked surprised to see her, nervous almost even. His eyes wandered across the dining hall for a moment before they returned to look at her. He didn't say much as they engaged in small talk, he mostly just nodded while Peyton did most of the talking. And when she asked him if he had time right now to grab a coffee his face briefly dropped. It had been so quick she had barely caught it, but it was there._

" _What's with you?" She accused._

 _Jake quickly shook his head. "Nothing. I'm sorry Peyton I'm just not free right now. I'm meeting up with someone. Maybe another time?"_

 _She tried her best not to look affected by the rejection. "Um sure I guess…what about – "_

 _Peyton never got to finish that sentence because the last person she wanted to see around Jake happened to materialize out of thin air._

" _There you are babe."_

 _Her eyes widened in horror as she watched Nicki utter those words while wrapping a hand around Jake's arm and placing the other hand over his chest in a possessive manner. Nicki then leaned over placing a kiss on his cheek. Peyton felt her heart drop to the floor and she kind of wanted to throw up from this sickening display of affection._

" _Oh hello there Peyton." Nicki flashed her a fake ass smile. "Nice to see you again." She drawled._

 _This. Bitch._

 _She was taunting her and all Peyton wanted to do right about now was slap that smug smile off her slutty bitch face. Ignoring Nicki, Peyton snapped her face over in Jake's direction. He was silent, but the expression on his face gave it all away. He looked downright guilty and that was confirmation enough._

 _She couldn't believe this. She was absolutely humiliated._

" _Excuse me, I have to go." Peyton mumbled. Her eyes fell to the ground as she turned on her heels and practically ran out of the building. There was a huge lump in the back of her throat and her eyes were burning from the tears she was holding back._

" _Peyton wait!" She was surprised that he had come after her. At least he had the sense to come alone._

 _He apologized, admitting this wasn't how he wanted her to find out. He had been planning on tell her soon. She angrily laughed in his face accusing him of cheating on her with Nicki, which he swore wasn't the case. She had a hard time believing him. How else could he had moved on so quickly otherwise? She said some pretty hurtful things, nothing she really meant, but said them anyway to hurt him. He hit back just as hard and pretty soon they were snapping off at each other. And through their argument Peyton realized something. It wasn't that Jake had suddenly moved on – that wasn't it at all. She knew this man inside out, he wasn't the type to rush into anything._

 _Which only meant on thing._

 _He had fallen for Nicki way before they had ever broken up and somewhere along the line he had fallen out of love with her. He may have never cheated on her, but things most definitely weren't as innocent as he claimed._

" _Why her? God Jake anyone else but her! Are you trying to be cruel?"_

" _Peyton we are not together anymore. I don't have to explain myself to you. I don't owe you anything. I get that you're upset and you have no idea how sorry I am for the way things turned out, and I never meant to hurt you either, but…I'm happy."_

 _The lump in her throat only grew in size. "You're right." She spoke, her voice slightly trembling. "You don't owe me a thing." She felt defeated. And even though they had technically broken up two months ago, it was this moment right now that made her realize that they really were over. There really was no going back."I hope the two of you are very happy together." She bitterly spat out._

 _She looked up at him, giving all those dreams and hopes they shared of the future one final goodbye before walking away from him._

" _Peyton wait! C'mon." Jake called out after her. She didn't bother looking back. She just kept walking and had burst into tears the second she had locked herself up in her dorm room. In the shitty dorm room she had been forced to move back into after having spent the last two years living in an apartment off campus with Jake._

 _Since they had broken up right before the start of the school year, she had been screwed with trying to find any other available off campus housing. Peyton was practically homeless after they gave up the apartment and she ended up crashing at Verónica & M. Roe's apartment for a few days. Thankfully a friend from one of her old study groups hooked her up with an RA position that had opened up last minute. Having no other choice she accepted and reluctantly moved back into the dorms. Since she was a RA, her room and board was free so she was saving her dad a few thousand and thankfully she did have the room to herself – so there was that at least. Though she was still pretty bitter about the fact that she was living in the dorms her senior year. Freshman girls were annoying, but thankfully it was only for a semester. Verónica & M. Roe's random third roommate was graduating early in December, so Peyton would be moving in with her girls come January._

 _She had cried alone in her room for awhile and then eventually called Brooke to share the horrible news._

 _There was silence on the other end of the line after Peyton finished explaining what happened. Brooke racked her brain for the perfect things to say, but really what could she say? Perfectly placed words would do nothing to mend this broken heart. The only thing that would do that was time._

" _You are not an idiot." Brooke told her eventually. "Moving on from your first love is hard for anyone Peyton. You still having feelings for him doesn't make you an idiot. It just means your human." The brunette advised._

" _Yes I am. I'm an idiot for thinking this whole time that we just needed to be apart for a little, because honestly I thought we'd find our way back Brooke. I really did."_

" _Peyton this is what you wanted." Brooke said trying to remind Peyton that the breakup had been mutual. "What you both wanted. You were both miserable by the end and you know it." Though even Brooke was surprised at how quickly Jake had managed to get a new girlfriend. She'd known Jake for almost as long as Peyton. They all grew up in the same sleepy little town together and Brooke knew just how much Jake had loved Peyton. He had basically worshipped the ground she walked on. "He was bound to start dating again P, just like you will be too. What did you expect?"_

 _Brooke could hear Peyton still crying over the phone._

" _I know Brooke, but….god…her? It had to be her? He could have moved on with ANYONE else except for that…"_

" _Slutty boyfriend thief?" Brooke offered. She smiled when she heard Peyton choke out a teary laugh._

" _That bitch." Peyton quickly mumbled. "I hate her Brooke. I like actually hate her. She ruined everything."_

" _Fuck her." Brooke replied. "And fuck him too."_

 _Peyton released another teary laugh, but it didn't take long for her mood to drop again. "He knew it would hurt me and he went on and did it anyway, like I never meant anything to him." She started crying again._

 _Brooke sighed. This really sucked and she hated that she was miles apart from her best friend. "You'll get through this." She sternly reassured Peyton._

" _Why do people always leave Brooke?" Peyton quietly whispered. "People always leave me." She added sadly._

" _Hey that's not true." Brooke began to argue. "I'm here and I will always be here. No matter what. I will never leave you. You're kind of stuck with me bitch."_

" _Thanks." Peyton softly responded no longer having the energy to force out a laugh._

" _You know maybe you should take it as a sign to start dating again yourself?" Brooke spoke sounding hopeful. "What about that guy from work that keeps asking you out?"_

 _Peyton groaned. "God no." Brooke was talking about Julian, some guy that didn't even work at her record label, but for some reason was always hanging around the office. He was annoying and had been persistently asking her out for a few weeks now. She turned him down every single time. The guy just couldn't take a hint. "Anyone but him."_

" _What is he like a total troll or something? Also its not like anyone else has been knocking on your door for a date." The brunette teased. "Doesn't sound like you have many options."_

 _Peyton scoffed. "Wow. Thanks for that." She rolled her eyes even if Brooke couldn't see her. "And no he's not hideous or anything, but he's just always annoyingly in a good mood, and not to mention he's always grinning like an idiot, like he's hiding some well kept secret or something."_

" _Well gee when you put it that way he sounds horrible." Brooke replied deadpanned._

" _He's a smug bastard!" Peyton defended. "I mean who is that happy all the time? I don't trust that grin, not for a second."_

" _Whatever you say." Brooke mumbled in doubt._

 _Peyton huffed over the line._

" _Just give him a shot Peyton. What's one date?" Brooke pleaded. "What if he turns out to be like your soul mate?! This could be the man you're destined to spend the rest of your life with and have lots of babies with that you're turning away here." In typical Brooke fashion, she was sure taking this idea and running with it._

 _Peyton snorted rolling her eyes again. "Doubtful. Anyway I don't wanna talk about this anymore. I rather hear about the new guy you're seeing. Chase right? How's that going so far?"_

" _We don't have to…"_

" _Yes we do. Please. I need the distraction."_

 _Brooke relented and they stayed on the phone for another twenty minutes talking about Chase and Brooke's fashion line that was really starting to gain some traction this year. After they hung up Peyton decided to skip the rest of her classes that day. She changed into sweat pants and crawled into bed to watch a movie. Ten minutes later there was a knock on her door. She groaned figuring it was some stupid freshman coming to ask her some stupid question. She stomped towards the door and swung it open._

 _She pursed her lips at the sight of Veró, M. Roe and her other friend Sam standing right outside her door in their PJs. "What are you guys doing here?" She questioned. She was sure they hadn't made any plans to get together at this hour._

 _Veró gave her friend a soft smile. Peyton looked like she had obviously been shedding tears for awhile now. "Brooke sent me an IM and then I gathered the rest of the troops." She explained nodding over at the other two girls. "And here we are." She shrugged._

" _We brought ice cream." M. Roe announced as she let herself into Peyton's room not bothering to wait for an invite. "Lots of it."_

" _And candy too." Sam added holding up a plastic shopping bag filled with treats._

" _And I have the movies." Veró announced before she too let herself in._

" _Guys…" Peyton began to protest the intrusion. She just wanted to be alone right now._

" _Shut up Peyton." M. Roe barked as she handed the blonde a pint of ice cream with a spoon. "It's just us." She said softly this time._

 _Peyton took the ice cream that was offered to her and the foursome squeezed themselves into her tiny bed and watched movies well into the night._

 _The next day Peyton got rid of most of her 'Jake things', saving only the really sentimental items and sealing them in a box before shipping them off to her house in Tree Hill. The following week she went out with her friends, got drunk and made out with some random cute guy at a party. She didn't bother getting his number or even asking for his name. She didn't want it nor need it. She just needed the release and to be able to forget about her shitty breakup for a little bit. It was nice. The guy had really nice soft lips and she grinned the whole way back to her dorm after leaving the party._

 _That coffee date with Jake did eventually happen. He sought her out this time._

 _They talked._

 _A lot._

 _There was no yelling, accusations, or hateful words thrown around this time. They left things at a good place, knowing well that they could never really be friends after everything that happened, and that this would probably be the very last time they'd ever be together again or have a meaningful conversation. But it was for the best. Sure they would run into each other every so often on campus or at a party and politely greet each other, but that was pretty much the extent of it._

 _And two weeks after that final chat with Jake, Peyton ran into Julian at work, where he predictably asked her out again._

 _She said yes._

* * *

 **Los Angeles, California – December 2014**

The champagne brunch was still going on strong by the time Lucas and Peyton arrived. On various tables there was food set out buffet-style and there seemed to be an unlimited supply of champagne flutes available. With Lucas by her side, Peyton had been quite the social butterfly as she caught up with familiar faces including some of her old professors and advisors. They were at the table just now refilling their glasses.

"Yo Sawyer."

Peyton looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Oh my goodness, Austin!" She finished topping off her mimosa with orange juice and turned around. "Wow it's been forever! How the hell are you?"

"Good." He leaned in to receive Peyton's hug. "You look great. How's it going?"

"Pretty good." She replied eagerly nodding after they had pulled apart. "It's really good to see you." She mused. "Oh this is Lucas, my husband." She introduced them when Lucas reappeared with his drink in hand. "Lucas this is Austin."

The men greeted each other and shook hands. "So how do you two know each other?" Lucas questioned. He couldn't recall Peyton ever mentioning an Austin before and he clearly wasn't part of her main group of friends.

"Oh…" Peyton paused hoping that Lucas wouldn't get too weird about this. "He was Jake's roommate freshman year." She quickly explained. Peyton had always liked Austin. She got to know him pretty well from all the time she spent hanging out in their dorm room. The two had pretty much the same taste in music, so they attended a bunch of concerts together, sometimes even without Jake.

Lucas frowned at the answer, but quickly managed to pull his face back up. "Oh." He simply offered. "Is he here?" He blurted out rather distastefully.

Peyton sent Lucas a glare before rolling her eyes. Well that was rude.

"Last time we spoke which was probably like…a couple of months ago, he said he would be here." Austin offered kindly, either oblivious to the tension or just deciding to bypass it completely. "But I actually haven't run into him yet."

Peyton's attention perked up at the revelation. "Oh you guys still talk huh?"

It was Lucas's turn to roll his eyes and he wasn't being subtle about it at all.

Austin nodded. "Yea not all the time, but we check in every so often. Last time I saw him was around a year ago. I was in Savannah for a wedding and we met up for dinner. He's doing real good."

So Jake was living in Georgia now? Peyton wondered how he ended up there.

Lucas took a sip of his glass and said nothing. He probably could have been a little friendlier, but he really didn't see the point. This guy wasn't important and Lucas was ready to move on from this little encounter that had surely made Peyton start thinking about Jake again now.

"So I heard you own like a record label?! Is that true?"

Peyton nodded grinning. Sometimes she couldn't believe it herself.

"Wow, that's amazing." Austin exclaimed. "And SO you. Of course you would. I'm not surprised. You were always meant to be your own boss."

Peyton laughed. He was obviously referring to the countless time she'd bitch to him about her internship at Sire Records. She'd never really liked being told what to do, especially when it usually involved coffee orders, food runs, and practically living in the mail room.

"Anyone on there I might have heard of?"

Peyton froze because of course she didn't even know what artists were signed to her label. Haley had offered to send her a list and some websites, but Peyton hadn't bothered following up. Which she now realized was kind of a foolish mistake on her part. Of course people were going to ask about her job. Duh.

"Mia Catalano." Lucas offered up. "She is Peyton's biggest artist, the first one she signed actually."

Peyton nodded at Austin. "Uh yea… Mia. She's pretty great." She faked, kind of hating that she had to do it too. "Have you heard of her?" Because she sure hadn't.

This hadn't been the first time he'd have to do that. There had been numerous occasions already where Peyton had been asked answers to questions she didn't know, and Lucas having her back had swooped in with the correct reply. He wasn't able to bail her out every single time though, especially when it came to reminiscing about specific college details amongst her friends that she couldn't remember and Lucas couldn't possibly know either. Most of the time Peyton nodded and pretended to remember funny tidbits her friends would bring up, always making sure to smile and laugh at the appropriate times. It was proving to be a lot more difficult to hide the truth. She could already tell her friends were starting to get suspicious.

Peyton snaked her hand through Lucas' and squeezed it tightly, grateful he was bailing her out yet again.

"Yea I've heard of her! She's on your label?" Austin exclaimed. "My girlfriend is kind of obsessed with her. I just got tickets for her and her friends to see Mia's concert next week as a birthday gift. Ah man wait til I tell her you actually work with her. She's gonna lose it." He joked.

Peyton wore a tight smile. 'Well I'm sure she'll have a lot of fun."

"Yea Mia's shows are a good time." Lucas added. "Hey if you're interested, Peyton can get your girlfriend backstage to meet Mia for some pictures and stuff."

"Are you serious?!" Austin's eyes widened. "Because dude that would make me pretty much boyfriend of the year."

"Mia won't mind." Lucas reassured.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders going along with Lucas. "We'll set it up then."

* * *

"Thanks for that." Peyton turned to Lucas after Austin had moved along to chat with some other classmates.

Lucas shrugged like it was no big deal. "Couldn't leave you hanging."

She smiled. "You know you could have been a little nicer to him." She said pointing out how rude he was in the beginning."

"Yes I could have." Lucas said coolly. "I just didn't care to."

Peyton rolled her eyes at his childish behavior. It was no secret why Lucas showed zero interest in getting to know Austin. "Why offer the backstage passes then?" She curiously questioned.

"Because you would have offered." Lucas said simply.

She moved to kiss him on the cheek, but Lucas would have none of that, moving his face slightly so their lips could meet instead. Peyton wrapped an arm around his neck as they continued to kiss.

"Get a room you two." M. Roe interrupted putting on a look of disgust.

"Sounds good to me." Lucas smirked at Peyton. "Let's get out of here and put that room of ours to good use." He playfully suggested, though a small part of him was dead serious about getting out of here.

Peyton struck his chest with her hand before rolling her eyes. "We aren't going anywhere mister." She said while placing a hand on her hip.

Lucas pouted.

"Actually yes we are." M. Roe declared.

Peyton frown. "And exactly where are we going?" She asked with eyebrows raised. They still had a full day of events going on today.

"Well all of us decided that we should blow off the rest of these lame events going on and keep boozy brunch going strong for the rest of the day. Then we'll go back to our rooms, nap a little, and then meet back up for the party being thrown tonight. I mean honestly we all came out here to see each other anyway right? Might as well just go hangout at our favorite bar like old times."

"Do I really have a choice in the matter?" Peyton asked knowing very well that she didn't – not that she was against the proposal. Truthfully it would be nice to just kick back with her friends. She was starting to really get tired from engaging in all the small talk and sharing life recaps with acquaintances and all the other people she clearly hadn't bothered to keep in touch with after graduating college. It had grown to be both exhausting and boring summarizing over and over again what she had been up to in the last five years, more so because she was basically just reciting whatever information either Lucas or Brooke had told her.

"Nope." M. Roe replied. "The tribe has spoken." She teased. "Lucas? You in?"

He nodded. "I'm game." He said happily, perhaps far too happily.

Peyton blew out a breath. Of course he was in and she suspected Lucas had an entirely different motive behind wanting to get out of here. Despite their heart to heart earlier in the car, Peyton had picked up on his anxiety throughout the entire brunch and she really didn't know what else to tell him that would improve his mood.

"Excellent. Shall we then? Everyone is waiting." M. Roe spoke, oblivious to it all.

* * *

"C'mon Cheeks don't take it so personal." Ben teased as the rest of the table roared with laughter. "It's all in good fun."

Peyton glowered at him. She really wished Ben hadn't started running his mouth and shared that story.

They were all gathered around a large table at a local bar reminiscing over good times, while sharing a few pitchers of beers and plates of greasy food. All of Peyton's close friends were there, Ben, Veró, M. Roe, Sam, Elliot, José, Phoebe, Justin, Sasha, Mike, and Alex, with most of their significant others in attendance as well. Naturally the topic of discussion shifted towards embarrassing college stories and Ben had decided to share the story behind his oh so affectionate nickname for the blonde, 'Cheeky'. Peyton had immediately protested and Ben had immediately ignored her.

And the name Cheeky had nothing to do with Peyton's incredibly sassy mouth at times. Not at all.

During college it had become sort of a tradition amongst the group to come up with the most outrageous dares for Peyton to perform. It had started innocently enough with one silly dare, while they had been drunk at a party in the beginning of their freshman year. Being the stubborn girl that she was and hating to back down from anything, Peyton accepted the challenge. Over the next four years the dares kept coming, each more growing more elaborate and ridiculous than the last, the goal being that someone would eventually come up with a dare that Peyton wouldn't actually do. They never did manage to succeed on that front. Peyton delivered each and every time.

The particular story Ben had recounted was a dare that involved a chilly December night, a football field and the absence of clothing. It was the night of UCLA's final football game of the season. The Bruins had won and naturally the entire student body celebrated by getting completely inebriated. After the game ended the group had spent the evening party-hopping and then had ended up stumbling their way back to the field. They dared her to streak across the field and so she did. Peyton ran over that field bare as the day she was born and Ben started calling her Cheeky from that day forward.

It definitely hadn't been her proudest moment and she wasn't ashamed of it or anything, maybe just slightly embarrassed. The real part that sucked was that Peyton hadn't done this particular dare alone, she had actually convinced Jake to do it with her. When that part had been revealed she had felt Lucas visibly stiffen next to her. Under the table she had placed a hand over his thigh to comfort him in his discomfort, but it was pretty obvious his good mood had soured. The story didn't end there either. Halfway down the field campus security had turned up and started chasing after them. From the stands her friends drunkenly cheered at them to run away, tossing them their clothes before everyone made their grand escape. Peyton noticed the tight smile on Lucas' face, pretending he wasn't bothered by it.

"I hate you all." Peyton mumbled. "And in my defense about 90% of those dares were given to me while I was drunk. You guys took advantage." She defended. "And almost got me arrested!"

"All true." Ben shrugged his shoulders like he could care less. "And I regret nothing." He grinned and everyone laughed. "One day I'll find a dare you won't do Cheeky, you'll see."

"Doubtful." Peyton playfully rolled her eyes. "And stop calling me that." Peyton grumbled regretting ever letting these people catch a glimpse of her bare ass.

"God Jake, what a lost cause that guy was senior year." Ben mused. "Basically a ghost."

As much as Peyton loved Ben - he was one of her closest guy friends after all – dude really needed to shut the fuck up right now.

"It's okay we always liked Peyton better anyway." M. Roe joked. "I'm glad we got to keep you in the divorce."

Veró's eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait up didn't we give Jake a nickname too after that streaking incident?" She asked not being able to remember it.

Peyton visibly cringed. She knew exactly what her friend was referring too and she prayed no one else did. Meanwhile Lucas rolled his eyes. Jake wasn't even physically here and yet he still managed to be the topic of conversation. It was annoying him to no end.

"Jumbo Jake!" Sam suddenly blurted out and the entire table erupted in laughter – well everyone except Peyton, whose cheeks reddened instantly, and Lucas, whose face paled – the innuendo not lost on any of them.

Peyton looked over at Lucas, catching his jaw clench in frustration. She moved her hand off his thigh to take his hand into hers, but he brushed it away.

 _Shit_.

She really needed to veer the topic of conversation away from her ex-boyfriend.

"Well with a name like that it's no wonder that Nicki chick never let him out of her sight to hang out with us." M. Roe added while wiping away the tears that had formed from laughing so hard.

Lucas abruptly stood up making the table shake violently and causing everyone to look up at him. "I'm gonna grab some refills." He mumbled irritability snatching two empty beer pitchers off the table before disappearing from the group.

The table grew silent. They had a waitress tending to them, so heading to the bar for drinks was unnecessary.

"Shit Peyton, I'm sorry!" Sam cried out as it dawned on her. "I dunno why I just blurted that out like that! I didn't mean to make it uncomfortable for Lucas. I keep forgetting that you all knew each other in high school. I'm really sorry." She said regretfully.

"Yea babe probably not the smartest thing mentioning how well endowed Peyton's ex is to her husband." Elliot piped in. "And also how good of a look did you get of Jagieski's junk anyway?" His eyes narrowed down at her suspiciously.

Sam scowled over at her husband and his petty jealously. "Ohhhh shut up Elliot. You cannot be serious right now."

"Answer the question." He pressed.

"We weren't even together at the time! In fact I recall us absolutely hating each other."

Peyton chuckled. Apparently getting together didn't do much to alter the dynamics between these two, they were still bickering just as much as they had back in college.

"Nope." Elliot interjected. "You hated me. I was obsessed with you." He corrected.

Sam shook her head. "Doesn't make it any less creepy now then it was back then, you freak." She smiled this time and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Anyway Peyton I really am sorry. Lucas doesn't look particularly thrilled with that last comment."

Peyton shook her head. "Really Sam it's fine. Lucas is fine. We're all good." The table remained awkwardly silent, no one really believing her. "Anyway I'm gonna go help him out with those beers." She declared as she slipped out of her chair and went in search of Lucas.

Ben frowned. "Anyone else getting weird vibes from Sawyer?"

Everyone who knew Peyton at the table nodded without hesitation.

"Something's definitely off." Veró added, looking concerned.

"Can we just take a moment to reflect over the fact, that for once it wasn't my big fat mouth that got me into trouble by making things awkward?" M. Roe gleefully pointed out.

Sam gave her the finger and M. Roe laughed returning the gesture.

"And what, you want an award or something for that?" Veró mocked.

M. Roe shrugged. "I wouldn't not want one." She innocently replied.

Everyone at the table groaned, rolling their eyes.

"You are unbelievable." Veró picked up one of the nachos off her plate and chucked at M. Roe.

M. Roe frowned at the hit and picked up the nacho that had fallen on her lap. "These are damn good." She commented after popping it into her mouth.

"Hey remember the time we were at some random house party and the cops showed up, and M. Roe freaked out so bad that she climbed out a window, ran, and then tripped and rolled down a hill so she wouldn't get caught for underage drinking?" Ben said through a grin.

M. Roe's eyes widened in horror. "You asshole! Don't you dare tell that story!" She exclaimed.

Ben ignored her of course.

* * *

"Hey you." She meekly greeted Lucas. He was leaning over the bar with elbows propped up, his hands intertwined. He looked heavy in thought. He looked over at her but said nothing. "I know things got a little weird back there. I'm sorry about that."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Would you just talk to me please?" Peyton pleaded. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Oh nothing, just here thinking about the inevitable return of your ex and his giant dick." Lucas spat out.

"Lucas."

"Well is it true?" He asked with a scowl on his face.

"Don't." Peyton warned him.

"Why not? You said you wanted to talk, so talk."

"Yes I'd like to talk, but we are not having _that_ conversation." She knew better then to fall into that poorly laid out trap.

"I wanna know exactly what I've got working against me here."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound right now?" Lucas was sorely mistaken if he thought she was about to engage in some silly discussion over dick size between him and Jake. "I'm sorry your feeling so threatened, but that doesn't give you the green light to act like such an asshole right now. I'm not doing this Lucas. You need to get it together." She sighed heavily still feeling terrible about all of this. "Please Luke." She pleaded as she knocked one of his arms off the bar, and squeezed herself in-between him and the bar. "We promised we wouldn't make this about him." She reminded him softly as her arms looped around his neck.

Lucas tried to look anywhere except Peyton, but he failed the instant she pressed herself against his body. His arms were soon wrapped around her waist.

"You're acting crazy." She teased playfully before biting his bottom lip.

The anger on his face was swept away by guilt. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "This…this isn't me." He promised. He wasn't normally some crazy jealous guy. "I just can't help it. Knowing that you two are going to talk later is just driving me crazy. You're mine."

Peyton smiled. "I'm yours." She reassured him.

He kissed her, pressing her back against the bar. "I'm sorry." He apologized again.

"Me too." Peyton replied. She was sorry for hurting him this way. For making him think that she couldn't possibly want him more than Jake. "You mad at my friends?" She questioned softly as she began to play with the buttons of his shirt.

Lucas shook his head. "I know they were just joking around and plus they don't even know what's really going on. It was my fault I reacted the way I did."

Peyton suddenly felt guilty. Perhaps she was behaving selfishly in her need to talk to Jake. She could see how much it was hurting Lucas and yet she was still insistent on speaking with her ex anyway. She couldn't help but wonder that if the tables were turned, if Lucas would do the same. Somehow she seriously doubted it. "What if I don't talk to him?" Peyton suddenly blurted out. "About any of it."

Lucas looked down at her a little shocked. "You would do that?" He questioned her hopefully.

"If you're asking me not to, then I won't." She confirmed.

Her words instantly crushed him and he could feel his anger rising once more. "I shouldn't have to ask you." He replied harshly, shaking his head in disbelief. He stepped away from her. "You should just know." He was seriously starting to wonder whether she cared at all about his feelings.

Peyton remained silent, stunned at his unexpected reaction. She honestly hadn't expected her offer to blow up in her face like that. She assumed Lucas would have jumped at the chance to stop her from talking to Jake.

Lucas pulled out his wallet retrieving a few bills and slamming them down on the bar when the fresh pitchers of beer had arrived. "Can you take these back?"

"Are you not coming back to the table?" She questioned, her eyes widening a bit.

"I need some air."

Lucas left before she could get another word in.

* * *

Lucas chugged down the rest of the scotch in his hand, letting the liquid burn down his throat. From where he was standing he got a clear view of Peyton. She was talking to that Austin guy from brunch again. They had been talking for nearly twenty-five minutes now and he couldn't understand how those two had so much to talk about all of a sudden. Lucas was practically seething the entire time he watched them. His thoughts betrayed him only assuming the worst of course, that Peyton was asking about Jake. She just had to be. What else could they possibly be talking about for this long?

He was mad at himself for the way he was acting. He was being petty and stupid and he was mad at her too.

Earlier today, when he had returned from 'getting some air' at the bar, he took his seat right next to Peyton, put on a fake smile and pretended everything was just fine. Peyton maintained her distance, knowing well that he was still upset and he was just fine with that. It wasn't until they returned to their hotel room later that afternoon that Peyton had broken her silence. Well actually she hadn't said much at all, instead Lucas found himself being shoved down on the bed. She climbed on top of him, kissing him hard and deeply. She muttered words into his ear about him having absolutely nothing to worry about, while her fingers reached for the buttons of his shirt. And being the weak imbecile he was, he let her undress him and comfort his bad mood as her hands roamed over every inch of his body, making him feel all sorts of amazing things.

And now he kind of hated her for it.

Hated her for using that intimacy as a method to bury the real issue aside.

And he kind of hated himself for taking advantage of the comfort Peyton had offered and allowing her to do so. He could have stopped her, but he didn't. He didn't want to, even though he knew it was a bad idea at the time.

Afterwards, they had both gotten ready for the party. The mood between them had definitely improved after spending that time in bed comforting each other. They kissed and flirted a few times as they got ready together. She complimented his attire, telling him how sexy he looked. And once they arrived at the reunion party, Peyton had clung to his side for most of the evening, making sure he wasn't feeling left out as they walked around and chatted with people. It had been nice and all, but it really hadn't solved anything.

He was still bitter about tonight and her stupid desire to talk to Jake. And she was still annoyed at his behavior and pretty much still in denial that this whole Jake ordeal wasn't causing a giant wedge between them. And all she had to say was that she wouldn't talk to him. That's it. They would have made-up just fine. But no, instead she had made him be the deciding factor. She made him into the bad guy by asking him to ask her to halt her plans. But if she really wanted to be with him then the decision should have been a piece of cake. She was being a coward because deep down inside she had no intention of not talking to the man that walked away from her all those years ago.

All of this was insane.

He should have never agreed to come to LA with her. It had only made things worse between them. And god he loved her so much.

And she?

Well he wasn't sure if she loved him even a little bit.

And the real kicker was that the asshole hadn't bothered to show up at all. Ok, so maybe Jake wasn't really an asshole, in fact the man in question hadn't done anything at all, but Lucas needed someone to direct his anger towards and Jake was the obvious target. It was nearing the end of the night and it was painfully apparent that Jake hadn't come to the reunion. So basically all this tension and fighting with Peyton had been over nothing, well maybe not nothing, but Jake wasn't even here and yet he still managed to stir shit up between them.

He really should have never came to LA. All of this bullshit could have been avoided if he had just stayed in New York.

Lucas ordered another drink for himself at the cash bar while still keeping an eye on Peyton. From the looks of it her conversation with Austin was winding down and he watched them part ways as Sam came over and scooped Peyton up to go dance with her and some of the other girls. As she was dancing, Peyton scanned the crowd until she spotted Lucas and smiled at him. He returned the smile and she proceeded to wave him over to join her. Lucas slowly nodded grabbing his drink and making his way over. When he reached her, she took the drink from his hand, stealing a sip of his scotch before returning it. She then motioned with her finger for Lucas to lean over. "Let's get out of here for a bit." She told him as soon as he leaned over.

Lucas nodded and Peyton linked their hands together and led them out of the building. She leaned back against a wall pulling Lucas over so that he was towering over her. They stood there silently sharing his drink as they passed it back and forth a few times.

"You hate me?" Those were the first words out of her mouth, breaking the silence. Everything had been so perfect between them yesterday and now everything was a perfect mess. She was actually kind of relieved that Jake hadn't shown up. The decision was made for her, she wouldn't be talking to him and Peyton was perfectly okay with that. She wasn't disappointed at all really. All she cared about right now was making things right with Lucas. She had promised not to hurt him and somehow she had unintentionally broken that promise.

Lucas sighed heavily leaning over further, his arm extending out over her shoulder to the wall behind her, allowing him to support his weight. "God I dunno Peyton." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"You don't know whether you hate me or not?" Her eyes widened feeling the panic setting in. "You can't hate me." She pleaded, her hands gripping the collar of his shirt. "Anything else Lucas, but not that."

"I'm still upset." He admitted. "Maybe even a little furious."

"Okay fine. That's fine." She quickly nodded. "Just don't hate me okay?" She desperately pleaded clutching on to his shirt a little tighter. "Don't hate me." She sadly whispered.

When she closed her eyes he noticed a few tears escaping. Lucas ran his thumb across her cheeks, wiping those tears away. He placed a quick kiss over her forehead. "I don't think I could ever really hate you anyway." He reluctantly admitted after a short pause.

"Really?" She looked up at him hopefully.

"Yea." He replied. "It probably has something to do with me loving you too damn much."

Peyton started to tear up again. She gave him a weak smile before burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back. "Tell me how to fix this." She asked him some time later.

"I dunno how." He confessed. "But I do know that we'll figure it out together."

Peyton pulled back to stand up straight. She wiped her face clean of any remaining tears. "I like the sound of that." She said with a nod. She then leaned up to kiss him, slightly afraid that Lucas might reject it, but he responded immediately and she sighed happily when his lips moved against hers.

"Would you hate me if I told you I'm kind of ready to head back to the hotel now?" Lucas slightly teased. It had been a long draining day and all he wanted to do right now was wind down and get some sleep before their flight back home tomorrow morning.

"Oh." Peyton shot him a guilty look. "That's fine, but I kind of promised the girls we'd get together for a farewell drink after this." She bit her bottom lip clearly feeling torn. "I'm sorry, I can ditch though…"

Lucas shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. You should go. It'll probably be a while before you see them again."

"I won't be long." She promised. "Just one drink and it's close to the hotel, only like a block away."

Lucas nodded. "Okay."

"Wait up for me?" She looked up at him with a coy smile.

Lucas chuckled at her cuteness. "Okay." He repeated earning a smile from Peyton.

* * *

"Aww well tell her we said congrats! How exciting." Veró said.

Peyton had just finishing filling the girls in on Brooke's pregnancy.

"Though I'm still waiting on you and Lucas to get pregnant." She added making Peyton choke on her drink.

"Well keep on waiting then." Peyton quipped. "Because that's not happening."

"You guys have been together for like six years now. Really what are you two waiting for?" M. Roe questioned, her eyes narrowing a bit. "Give me my damn godchild already."

"OUR godchild." Veró corrected.

"We're just not there yet." Peyton quickly answered, feeling uncomfortable with the subject.

"Lucas doesn't want kids?" Veró asked.

"We're just not there yet guys." Peyton repeated. She had much more urgent things to worry about when it came to Lucas and thankfully being pregnant wasn't one of them. Peyton still wasn't sure if she even liked kids, at least not enough to have one of her own.

"Whatever you say." M. Roe shrugged her shoulders. "Though while we're still on the topic of Lucas…"

Peyton groaned. She already knew where this was heading.

"I couldn't help but notice, well we all noticed, that Lucas really isn't a fan of Jake I take it?"

"It's…complicated."

"Just seemed kind of weird." Veró pointed out. "It's not like we've never mentioned Jake before in passing. Are you two doing okay?"

"We could be better." Peyton admitted. "But don't judge him on the Jake thing. It's not Lucas' fault, it's kind of my fault honestly. We're just in a weird place right now and I'm only starting to realize that I've been somewhat insensitive about things relating to a certain ex."

"Jake?" Veró questioned surprised. "You and Jake?" She clarified not really believing her ears.

Peyton slowly nodded. "Trust me it's not what you're thinking. I'm not in contact with him or anything like that."

"Well just tell Lucas that he has nothing to worry about then." M. Roe advised. "I mean it's kind of cute he's a little jealous, but there's really no contest between the two. Jake is Jake and Lucas is…well he's your Lucas. You guys are kind of perfect for each other, nauseatingly so. Are you guys absolutely sure there's not a third brother creeping about? I really need a new boyfriend."

Peyton laughed, shaking her head. "Did I mentioned that your obsession with Lucas and his brother is kind of borderline creepy."

"Not nearly as creepy as you dating both of them." Veró chimed in.

"Oh! Nice." M. Roe gave her a friend a nod of approval as they slapped hands.

Peyton huffed.

"Anyway whatever is going between you two I'm sure you'll get through it." Veró spoke. "M. Roe's right, you and Lucas are perfect for each other, and besides why would Lucas even think that a married man would be chasing after another married woman, or that you would even be interested in that anyway. Guys are just dumb sometimes. I wouldn't worry too much. The jealously will pass. Just make him feel wanted."

"Wait, what?" Peyton frowned. "You lost me there."

Veró chuckled. "I just meant that you're happily married with Lucas, and Jake married Nicki, so…there's really nothing left there. You both moved on."

Peyton nearly dropped the glass in her hand.

"And plus it was like a million years ago." M. Roe added. "Tell Lucas that he won. He won the game of life by scoring your fine ass. Cheers to that." She said while holding up her glass of wine and taking a sip.

Still completely in shock Peyton just sat there. Her eyes blinking rapidly as she processed the information. "Jake's married!?" She exclaimed a little too loudly.

Veró and M. Roe shared a look. "Ummm…yes?" Veró cautiously replied. "Unless he got a divorce…" She trailed off.

"Oh no he's definitely still married." M. Roe confirmed. "Austin told me."

Peyton shook her head in disbelief. "What? How do you know this? How long has he been married?"

Both Veró and M. Roe wore blank expressions on their faces. "I think someone's had more than enough to drink this evening." M. Roe mumbled under her breath.

"I'm fine." Peyton snapped. "How long has Jake been married?"

"I think right after college I guess." Veró replied. "What's with you?"

"Yea how do you not remember that you were the one who told us he got engaged in the first place?" M. Roe frowned. "Too many drinks." She sang out to Veró, while discreetly gesturing at Peyton.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jake was married and no one had bothered to tell her.

More importantly Lucas hadn't told her.

 _That asshole._

"I have to go." Peyton abruptly announced jumping out of her chair.

"What do you mean you have to go?!" M. Roe exclaimed. "We just got these drinks."

"I have to go." Peyton automatically repeated. She grabbed her purse and jacket.

"Peyton!" Veró called out.

"I'm sorry guys, I just…have to go. It was really good to see you. I love you guys." Peyton waved them off as she left.

"What the _fuck_ was that all about?" M. Roe looked over at Veró with wide eyes and a very confused expression. "She just ditched us! What the fuck is wrong with her?"

Veró shook her head. "I have no clue."

"She's so weird. I think living in New York has made her cray, like cray-cray."

"I'm gonna go try to talk to her." Veró jumped up from her stool.

"Oh great you're ditching me too?!" M. Roe called out.

"I'll be right back!"

Veró ran down the block towards the hotel Peyton was staying at, catching her just in time before she slipped into the elevator. "Peyton!"

The blonde turned around. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm worried about you. You don't really seem to be yourself and it's not just me…everyone else thinks so too."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Oh great so you guys have been gossiping about me behind my back?"

"You know it's not like that." Veró defended. "And I know you know that you can talk to me about anything. You're my best friend Peyton."

Peyton sighed. "I'm fine, really."

"You don't seem fine. Why are you holding out on me? We always tell each other everything."

"I love you for looking out for me, you know I do, but I just kind of need you to back off a little okay?"

Veró frowned. "Well unfortunately for you I don't care much for being a sucky friend, so no I will not be backing off."

Peyton blew out a breath and chuckled. "I so knew you were going to say that." She muttered.

Veró smiled. "Now tell me what's going on with you. C'mon, I dare ya." She teased, nudging Peyton with her elbow.

Peyton shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't." She said sadly. "I just can't and I really do have to go." Peyton stepped into the elevator. "I'm about to have a few words with my dear husband." She spoke in a sharp tone, her displeasure evident.

"Peyton." Veró began to protest.

"Hey on the brightside you guys finally found I dare I'm not willing to do." She sadly teased. "Took you long enough. Ben will be thrilled."

Veró gave a sad smile. She didn't find any of this funny at all. "Are you sure you have to go?"

Peyton nodded. She was absolutely furious and the only thing her mind could possibly focus on right now was confronting Lucas.

And for his sake she hoped he had a good explanation.

Veró sighed. "Promise to call me soon?" She knew better than anyone that when Peyton's mind was made up it was final. She wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise.

Peyton nodded again. "I will, and I'm sorry, and I love you."

Veró shrugged feeling defeated. "Love you too." She gave Peyton a small wave as she watched her disappear behind the elevator doors.

* * *

So I'm super curious to know what you guys think! Are we relieved Jake didn't show or disappointed? Hopefully you don't hate me too much! I had decided months ago on what the end game for the reunion would be and that included Jake never actually making an appearance.

Why, you might ask?

Mostly because I figured out early on as I was outlining this story, that I would only have Jake appearing once (having him appear multiple times just seemed redundant). So that means that Jake will pop up at some point in this story, where I have better use for him (and I already know when and where that will be). As for the reunion, I also figured out early on that I didn't really need Jake to be physically present in order for things to start getting rocky between Lucas and Peyton, so not having him appear worked just fine. Because Jake really isn't the 'enemy' here guys, it's really Peyton's insecurities mixed in with Lucas'. They're kind of working against each other and the 'whole Jake ordeal' just kind of helped expose that more quickly. That was the whole point of the LA trip, pushing Leyton to be more self-aware of their issues, something that I don't think would have come as easily if they just stayed in their little 'New York bubble'.

Anyway as always thank you for hanging in there with me guys! Looking forward to reading you thoughts and answering any questions.

And brace yourselves because shit's about to go down in the next chapter.

Until next time!


	22. Better Left Unsaid

Reviews

 **Lacey4Lucas** \- Oh I love new binge readers! Welcome, so glad you've decided to come along for the ride!

 **Annie** \- Oh girl I really do love your insight on this story and Leyton. You're always nailing it!

 **ktlynrose** \- As of now Peyton's friends will continue to be in the dark about her accident. Fessing up is not really on the top of Peyton's priority list at the moment.

 **Tpassions** \- I'm ready to answer those questions! Okay, so you'll find out in this chapter whether or not Lucas really did keep Jake's marriage from Peyton. As for Brooke that won't be revealed for at least another chapter or two. Second, I'm curious to know why you're having a hard time understanding Lucas' behavior in the last chapter. From my point of view, Lucas is insecure because he's well aware that Peyton still cares for Jake on some level and her feelings for Lucas are in some ways still underdeveloped at this point since she's still getting to know him. There's no doubt that Peyton cares for Lucas, but from his point of view he's still competing for her affections against all the memories Peyton has loving Jake. And yes, you're right, Peyton was honest with Lucas about her decision to speak with Jake, but remember that she kept it from him in the beginning and Brooke had urged her to tell Lucas. Peyton eventually came clean, but it was after she realized her feelings for Lucas had grown. Even more importantly just because Lucas accepted Peyton's decision, it doesn't necessarily mean that he was okay with it. Supporting someone and agreeing with them are not always mutually exclusive. Hope that helps! If not send me a PM and we can discuss further!

 **Mia** \- As you'll soon read, Lucas will be anything but calm and collective this time around.

 **Sunnyde123** \- lol well considering Leyton haven't even slept together (not counting flashbacks) in this story yet, I don't think I'll be adding a pregnancy to this plotline anytime soon or ever really. I think these two have more than enough going on at this point. I'm glad you love the story and hope you enjoy the Leyton showdown in this chapter.

 **jordana60** \- Yay I'm glad you loved the reunion storyline. You've been waiting on that part of the story for awhile, so I'm thankful you were not disappointed.

 **thibbs65** \- Let's be real Peyton is a hot mess and because she can't remember things, she's heavily dependent on Lucas and others to fill in the blanks. I'm not saying her behavior is justified, in fact it's very clear that she's a selfish mess, but she's vulnerable and needy right now, and those are two things Peyton Sawyer does not do well, so lashing out (or completely shutting down) is kind of her coping mechanism.

 **Mufc87** \- Ha glad to hear you weren't disappointed with Jake's lack of appearance. I myself never had anything against Jake on the show, I just found him boring and his relationship with Peyton boring. The only good thing about Jake was that he brought us Nicki and she was fucking fantastic. I loved to hate her. She kept shit interesting even though she ended up ruining any hopes I had for Leyton getting together in season one.

 **Guest** \- I've returned and all will be explained shortly, but more importantly I'm back with your much needed fix!

 **Guest** \- I LOVE that you love that this little story of mine is able to make you feel...well all the feels. I myself start feeling the same emotions whenever I'm writing these characters. When Lucas is sad, I get sad even heartbroken, and the same goes for Peyton's roller-coaster of emotions that she puts us all through. I'm glad that I'm able to make my readers feel the same. As for Peyton coming clean to her LA friends, I'm sad to say that the previous chapter was a wrap up for those characters and after this chapter we'll be heading back to NYC. I did have a lot of fun playing around with these new characters though and it was pretty cool to read how well received they were by the readers, so who knows maybe I'll bring them back if you guys demand it! As for Lucas and the whole Jake deal, just remember that the reason Lucas was acting insecure, wasn't because he necessarily thought that Jake would sweep in and steal Peyton away, but because he was fearful of how Peyton would react to seeing Jake again and if it would have a negative effect regarding her feelings towards Lucas - that's the main takeaway.

 **Guest** \- As long as you guys keep reading, I'll keep writing and updating! Thanks for your review.

 **Guest** \- Lol yes this chapter is packed full of angst! Enjoy! Leyton make-up sex would be hot, I'll have to save that idea for a future chapter when these two are actually having sex again.

 **Guest** \- I'm bringing you that drama. Shit is about to hit the fan big time.

 **Guest** \- Peyton is all over the place and she doesn't have a great handle on things as much as she would like to believe. And I definitely understand why you believe that Peyton has no right to be furious with Lucas at all. He's been great this whole time and her behavior has been up and down since she woke up from her coma. Peyton has some deep issues here. I'm not trying to justify her actions or make it seem like she's in the right. Her character is meant to be a little crazy, a little selfish, maybe even a bit unstable, and ridiculously stubborn. That being said don't give up on our girl just yet! I know she's kind of unbearable and a little horrible right now, but I'm still rooting for her and I hope you still will too! I can promise you that Lucas will get the relationship he craves with Peyton one way or another.

* * *

Hi guys! So the last chapter was really well received! It is currently the most reviewed chapter in this story so far which is so awesome and you guys definitely had a lot of comments and questions. I did my best to answer them all without giving this chapter away, so if you're looking for more insight do read the replies I've posted up top!

Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long! My computer basically died on me, the good news was that I had all my really important docs already backed up, the bad news was that of course this chapter hadn't been saved anywhere else at the time. So naturally you could imagine my displeasure over the fact that I would have to rewrite this chapter (after I had already written about 85% of it), so I needed to kind of walk away from it for a few days. Eventually a thorough google search helped me figure out how to retrieve my files from my hard-drive and I was finally able to recover this chapter after a lengthy process of trying to figure it out. But I was successful and here we are now - which thank god because I really wasn't looking forward to rewriting this chapter from scratch, lol.

As always thank you guys so much for reading, reviewing, your patience and all the love you guys are constantly sending me over this story. It always puts a huge smile on my face. Also a little celebratory dance because this story is at 200 reviews and counting! I can't believe it! Wow, you guys are awesome! So happy 200 reviews for this story and looking forward to many more!

No chapter track for this one.

* * *

Chapter 22: Better Left Unsaid

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2009**_

" _So did we get it?" Peyton questioned the second she picked up Brooke's call._

 _Brooke chuckled. "I just got off the phone with the realtor."_

" _And?"_

" _They accepted the offer."_

 _Peyton smiled into her phone. "I can't believe this is happening."_

" _Well you better believe it roomie."_

 _The two best friends had been searching for a suitable house in Tree Hill for Brooke to buy for about a month now. Last weekend Brooke had flown back into town and they looked at a cozy two story house along the beach they both fell in love with the second they had walked through the door. They hadn't even started the tour of the house yet and they both already knew that it was the one. Brooke had made an offer the same day and they had been waiting to hear back all week._

" _So when can we move in?" Peyton asked as she looked around her room. She had a lot of crap and it was going to be a nightmare packing this room up and she was definitely going to make Lucas help. She'd put those sexy arms of his to good use with all the boxes that would need lifting._

 _They had been seeing each other for a little over a month now and things were pretty awesome. And despite not placing a label on their relationship, they pretty much spent all their free time together. Lucas worked some days at the café and a couple of nights a week at Tric, while she had gotten a part-time job at Max's record store, and another part-time gig at Thud magazine submitting a weekly comic strip after Lucas encouraged her to apply, or more accurately stole her art work and submitted an application behind her back. She had been pretty pissed at first, but she ended up really loving working at that little magazine and all was forgiven. They usually had lunch together every single day and the nights he worked at Tric Peyton would stop by to keep him company all the way til closing time. During the day if neither of them had work, they'd have little dates along the harbor or drive out of town taking mini road trips together. Lucas would drive, while Peyton was in charge of the music, and together they'd look at the map and pick a random town to explore. Other days they'd just walk along the pier holding hands and eating ice cream, and on those really hot sticky summer days they would rent a little boat for a few hours, sail out and jump in the water in their bathing suits – or sometimes without, if there were no other boats around. Their nights usually ended back at Peyton's place where they'd spend countless hours between the sheets having the most incredible sex she had ever experienced._

 _She was starting to really get the hang of this 'summer fling thing'. Why hadn't she done this sooner? A whole summer with an incredibly handsome man that was not only terrific in bed, but was one of the most charming, intelligent and all around nicest guy she had ever dated. Lucas made her feel so special every time they were together. Everything was just so new and exciting when she was with him. Even when they were just laying around doing absolutely nothing, it was still the most fun she'd had with a boy in what seemed like forever. She couldn't remember the last time a guy had made her feel that way. It was pretty awesome. She would without a doubt miss Lucas when she'd eventually leave Tree Hill. And she could tell that Lucas wanted more and she wished she could give him more, but it wouldn't be fair to him. Her goal was to be out of this town in a few months, she had been applying to jobs everywhere._

" _We could move in today if we wanted to." Brooke replied._

 _Peyton laughed. "How is that even possible? Don't they need to move their stuff out first?"_

" _I made a very generous offer to pay them an additional amount if they left all the furniture and got the hell out."_

" _You did not."_

" _Oh you better believe your skinny ass that I did. They're on the road as we speak."_

 _Peyton laughed._

" _I'll be moving in by the end of next week, just need to tie up a few loose ends here in New York first."_

" _What did Victoria say about you leaving New York?"_

" _Well…you see the funny thing about that…"_

" _Oh my god you haven't told her yet have you?"_

" _Figured I'd just leave it as a surprise."_

" _By leaving town and disappearing?"_

 _Brooke snorted. "Like she didn't take off on vacation plenty of times without telling me when I was growing up."_

" _This isn't a vacation Brooke." Peyton pointed out._

" _Semantics." The brunette replied dismissively._

 _Peyton laughed. "Dude she's gonna be so pissed. Also she's probably gonna blame this on me again, because I'm SUCH a bad influence on you."_

" _Yup."_

" _Can I be there to watch when she has that meltdown?" Peyton teased._

 _Brooke chuckled. "Sure, as long as I don't have to be."_

" _You're the one who decided to hire your mother." Peyton reminded her._

" _Ugh don't remind me." Brooke groaned. The sad truth was that as much as Victoria was a constant thorn on Brooke's side, her company would have never gotten as far as it had without her mother's assistance._

" _I guess I better start packing my shit then huh?"_

" _Have Lucas do it!" Brooke playfully teased. "And he better be game for moving around furniture and stuff at the house. I have a lot of ideas on how we're gonna rearrange the place. Also I'm dying to meet him." Peyton had still refused to introduce them, but now that they were going to be living together it was pretty much unavoidable. So far she had only seen a picture of him and even then Brooke had to practically beg for it._

" _Really? Dying?" Peyton mocked._

" _Absolutely." Brooke replied without skipping a beat. "I still can't believe I let someone that fine looking slip under my radar in high school. He's gorgeous. I so would have tapped that."_

" _Well he's unavailable now and last time I checked you have your own man candy. Chase, I believe is his name?"_

" _Yeah, yeah." Brooke spoke nonchalantly. "I guess he'll do." She teased."I'm really excited though. We've been doing long distance our entire relationship. Having both of us in the same town is gonna…it's gonna be amazing."_

 _Peyton smiled. She was happy that her best friend had finally found love with such a good guy. Chase was good for Brooke, he kept her centered._

" _So I'll see you next week then?" Peyton spoke while leaning over to look at the clock on her nightstand. She was meeting up with Lucas for their movie date soon so she needed to start getting ready._

" _Yup, but actually there's kind of another reason why I called." Brooke replied, her voice turning serious._

" _Okay?" She could hear Brooke taking a deep breath over the line and releasing it._

" _Okay so listen, you know how I met up with Bevin last night for drinks since she was in town?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Well she had a connecting flight in Georgia and you'll never guess who she ran into…"_

" _Okay, who?"_

" _Jake."_

" _Really?" Peyton replied sounding surprised._

" _Apparently he lives there now, in Savannah."_

" _Really? That's super odd." She said through a chuckle. She knew he had always planned on staying in California._

" _He's…oh god I don't even know how to say this because I'm still processing it myself…"_

" _Just say it Brooke."_

" _He moved to Savannah to be with that Nicki girl…because he's getting…he's getting married Peyton. He told Bevin he got engaged a few weeks ago and that they're getting married like really soon. Sounds like they're eloping."_

" _That…that can't…there's just no way that's true." Peyton rapidly shook her head as she sat on her bed. "There's no way Jake would just get married! This is Jake we're talking about. Good old reliable Jake. He likes to take his time with everything. He likes to overanalyze and plan things out. You know that."_

" _I know I said the same thing, but Bevin was pretty adamant about it. I'm so sorry Peyton. I know hearing this can't be easy."_

" _Jake can do whatever the hell he wants." Peyton snapped angrily. "I'm so over that."_

 _Brooke sighed. "I know you are, but I also know you and this probably hurts a lot more than you're willing to admit."_

 _There was a long pause._

" _He's really getting married?" Peyton asked sadly, her voice low and slightly cracking. She wasn't even in love with Jake anymore, had no desire to be with him anymore, and yet hearing this news still hurt just as bad as when she had still wanted him._

" _I'm so sorry P." Brooke said softly._

* * *

 **Los Angeles, California – December 2014**

When Peyton stormed into the room she found Lucas laid out on the bed, typing furiously into the laptop that sat on his lap.

"You're back early." He commented. "I know it's late, but I'm getting kind of hungry. Wanna order room service?" He questioned as he continued to type down a few ideas that had just popped into his head for his novel.

"No thank you." She said curtly tossing her purse and jacket over a chair.

Lucas picked up on the tone and looked up from his computer. "What's wrong?" He spoke now noticing the scowl Peyton was sporting. He closed his laptop shut and set it on the nightstand.

"Why didn't you tell me that Jake was married?" She barked out the accusation.

Lucas blew out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair.

Of course this was about Jake. Apparently it was the only viable topic of conversation these days and he was getting pretty sick of it.

He rolled his eyes and spoke. "I wasn't aware that was something I had to do."

"So you did know that he was married then." She confirmed. "You just kept it from me, so what, I could make a fool out of myself in front of Jake and his wife?!"

Lucas gave her a look of disbelief. "I didn't even know that you didn't know!" He exclaimed.

"I have memory loss Lucas, of course I didn't know!"

"Could have fooled me since I know you've talked to Brooke about Jake plenty of times." He spat out.

Peyton's face faltered slightly.

"Yea that's right, I know you've been asking her questions about him." He'd known for some time now, but had decided to let it go or at least that had been the plan.

"Those conversations were meant to be private." She spoke through gritted teeth. "You had no right!"

"She didn't give me any details if that's what you're so worried about." Lucas sighed realizing he had basically just thrown Brooke under the bus. The brunette was not going to be happy. "Though I'd love to know if it ever occurred to you to ask about our past together instead of chasing after your old boyfriend." He spoke bitterly.

"So what then you were just trying to punish me or something for not remembering us? That's pretty selfish." Peyton bit back.

Lucas groaned standing up from the bed. "Once again Peyton I had no idea that you didn't know that Jake was married. Why is that so difficult for you to believe?" He moved around the bed stepping closer towards her. "Newsflash Peyton it is not my job to keep you up-to-date on Jake's life because frankly I don't give a shit whether he's married or not, and as my wife you shouldn't either." He said angrily. "Why the fuck do you care so much?"

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your mind trapped in the past like I do? I can't remember the last eight years of my life Lucas and there is nothing I can do about it. And let's face it I'm not getting those memories back and when you guys don't tell me really important things, it just feels like your keeping things from me."

"Don't talk like that." Lucas spoke sternly, his jaw setting tightly. "You're going to remember."

Peyton let out a humorless laugh. "No I'm not!" She shook her head. "So it's best you stop torturing yourself over the way things were, that's over now."

Lucas scoffed. "What's so wrong about me wanting things to be the way they were before? It's called having hope Peyton. I just want my wife back."

"Well this is what you get now. Sorry to disappoint." She said coldly.

"You are unbelievable. I can't believe you're putting me through this again." Lucas muttered.

Peyton raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say that this isn't the first time you've freaked out on me over Jake getting married." He replied shaking his head in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?"

"How about you ask Brooke?" Lucas replied coldly. "I believe that's where all your Jake related inquiries usually go."

Peyton scowled unimpressed with his response. "Don't be an asshole."

"God this is such bullshit!" He yelled out at her, not giving a damn if the entire floor overheard their argument.

"Excuse me?" She questioned sounding somewhat offended.

"What the hell happened to everything we talked about today? Yet here we are coming full circle and once again it's all about this endless obsession you have with your ex. What happened to not making this trip about him? Huh? Or is it more that you're allowed to get upset about our situation, but I'm not?!"

"I'm UPSET because once again I'm being left in the dark about things." She was fuming just as much as he was right now. "You have no idea how hard it is to be me right now. You don't know what it feels like." She defended. "It's like I can't even make a single move without you, Brooke, and everyone else judging the hell out of me! It's not my fault I can't remember you Lucas and I'm tired of feeling guilty and mentally punishing myself over it."

"Bullshit." Lucas threw his hands in the air. "You were nowhere near this upset when you found out about Julian. This is all about Jake and don't you dare deny it." He was seething now. "What did you think was going to happen Peyton? That you two would talk, and you'd be 19 again and you'd just magically be together again? Do you have any idea how fucked up that sounds? What the fuck is wrong with you? What happened to you is not your fault, but your actions are a whole different story. You can't just blame it all on your memory loss. It's a cop out and you know."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Peyton said quietly. "You don't know a thing."

"Then why are you so angry that he's married?!"

"Because no one told me!" She said hotly.

"Really that's it?" Lucas said incredulously as he stepped over closer to Peyton. "You're mad no one told you? Or maybe you're just really mad because Jake moved on without you, or even better maybe it's because he married the woman he left you for."

His words came out like venom and her hand shot out immediately making contact with his cheek. She flinched at the sound of the slap, looking just as surprised as Lucas did at moment. She swallowed hard.

Lucas took a step back, placing a hand over the side of his face that had just been struck. "Guess I've got my answer." He mumbled as he rubbed his face.

Slapping him had felt good for like a second before the remorse kicked in. She should have apologized, but she was far too angry and even more stubborn to deliver an apology. His comment about Nicki had been a low blow and it had hurt. It had cut far too deeply than she was willing to admit out loud. So instead she just stood there, her hands slightly trembling, and her chest feeling heavy as she took in deep breaths and mentally tried to calm herself down.

"I should have never came on this trip with you." He shook his head sadly.

"That's not true." She began to protest. "I wanted you here. And you said you were okay with me talking to Jake." She reminded him. "And then you act all crazy jealous today…"

Lucas huffed. "Peyton get a clue. You can't honestly believe that I was okay with you seeking out Jake. I was never okay with it."

Peyton shook her head. "No you said you were okay with it." She said stubbornly. "Unless you lied about that too." She said with a bitterness to her tone.

"NO, I said okay to coming to LA with you because it's what you asked of me. You only heard what you wanted to hear Peyton. I dunno maybe it was to ease your guilt and convince yourself that this whole idea wasn't completely fucking nuts."

"That's not true." Peyton felt her anger returning.

Lucas closed his eyes tightly. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "You're holding on to a ghost Peyton. You can't have us both. You can't love both of us. It just doesn't work like that."

The blonde's eyes narrowed, her face scrunching up a bit. "Well it's a good thing I don't love you then." Those cruel words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Lucas' face fell at her statement. His face paled and Peyton could have sworn he looked like he was about to cry. As if the slap hadn't been bad enough, judging by the pained look on Lucas' face she had pretty much just kicked him while he was already down.

Peyton immediately regretted her words.

"I…oh god." Peyton sighed burying her face in her hands. "That came out wrong. I didn't mean it like that." She pulled her hands away to look at Lucas again. "I'm sorry. That was…I just didn't mean it." She pleaded with her eyes as she continued to look at Lucas, hoping that he would understand her heated mistake. "Lucas I.." She tried reaching out to him but he took another step back.

"Don't." He commanded.

She stayed put. "I'm sorry." She repeated. "I don't know why I said that." Why did she say that?

Lucas shook his head in his disbelief. Though he had suspected it, he never imagined she would actually say those words out loud to him. He thought Peyton at least cared about him deeply, but clearly she didn't care enough. "I've given you everything." His voice trembled a bit as he spoke. "Everything you've asked of me I've given it to you without question. Hell since the first day we met in my mom's café I've given you all of me, and you were always much more guarded and cautious because you've been through a lot. It's just the type of person you are. You've lost a lot of people and I understood that. So it never really bothered me that I always gave a little more than you did because I knew in my heart that you were the woman for me and that deep down you felt the same way I did. That you loved me."

Peyton swallowed the lump in her throat as she blinked back her tears. "Lucas…"

He interrupted her. "But now it doesn't matter what I do or how hard I try to convince you otherwise because Jake means everything to you and now I mean nothing."

"That's not true." She held back a sob. "Don't put words in my mouth, of course you mean something to me. I've told you that before."

"It sure doesn't feel like it." Lucas sighed unhappily. "I can't do this anymore." He said quietly.

Peyton's face fell in horror. "What are you talking about? Can't do what?" She asked sounding absolutely terrified.

"Be in this room with you right now."

Peyton watched as Lucas quickly threw on some jeans and put on his shoes. "Wait, where are you going? Don't you think we should talk about this?"

Lucas grabbed his sweater and headed towards the door. "What's the point?" He shrugged.

"Where are you going?" She repeated.

"Out." Lucas replied callously. "Don't follow me…"

"Lucas." Peyton ignored the request following him up to the door of their room. Her hand reached for him landing on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"…because honestly I can't even stand to look at your face right now."

Peyton immediately retracted her hand, his icy words practically burning her to the touch. "Please don't go." Her hands began to tremble again. "Stay." She pleaded.

The blond said nothing and he was out the door in a flash, slamming it behind him.

Peyton kicked at the door in absolute frustration, before sinking down to the floor, finally letting the tears she had been holding back flow.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2009**_

 _Lucas let himself inside the large house that he was spending most of his time in these days – more than his own home. Ever since he and Peyton had started this thing, he really only went home to shower and change now. Something he could tell his mother wasn't exactly thrilled about, but he was 22 years old now and there was nothing she could really do to stop him. And it wasn't like he wasn't setting aside time to spend with his family and friends, he still saw them on the regular, it was just a little less then they were used to now that he had Peyton. He was actually quite ready to introduce Peyton to everyone. The only person that had met Peyton at this point had been Lily when she had caught them making out that one day in the storage room of his mother's café. Peyton still dropped by the café fairly often, but it was always when Lucas was managing the place and so Karen had no reason to be there on those days, which is why the two women had yet to meet._

 _He shut the door behind him and locked it. He hated that she never locked her doors, a bad habit she had developed since her high school days. He had complained about it multiple times, but she was beyond stubborn and told Lucas that he had nothing to worry about, Tree Hill was a safe place._

 _Lucas jogged up the stairs and headed straight for Peyton's room. "Did you forget about our movie date?" He spoke announcing his presence. She was sitting on her bed, her knees pulled up and her back against the headboard. She had a sketchpad resting up against her thighs and a pencil in her hand. "I waited for you at the theater for over an hour. Been calling you too." He eyed the cell phone that sat next to her on the bed and he frowned. There was no way she had missed his calls._

 _The blonde tore her gaze from whatever she was drawing to look up at him. "Sorry." She mumbled before returning to her sketch._

 _Though it didn't sound like she was sorry at all._

" _Is everything alright?"_

" _I'm fine." She quickly answered as she began to quicken the movements of the pencil in her hand over the paper._

" _It's just that you seem kind of – "_

 _She cut him off. "Is there something I can help you with Lucas because as you can see I'm kind of busy here." She said hurriedly._

 _His mouth was left slightly ajar at her harsh words. "I just…I thought we had plans today…um…I…" He was lost for words really, not sure of what the hell was going on with her. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck as he thought of what to say next. "Are you sure you're okay? Did I do something to upset you?" Even though Lucas was positive he had done no such thing, he couldn't help but ask._

 _Peyton sighed. "Like I said before I'm fine Lucas. I think I'm just gonna stay in today if you don't mind. I'll call you tomorrow." She went back to her sketch essentially dismissing him._

" _Peyton."_

" _What?" She looked up again, her voice still brash._

 _Lucas frowned. Why was she being so cold with him? "You sure you don't wanna go catch a movie?" He said hopefully. "Or we could go rent one if you really wanna stay in."_

 _Peyton shook her head at him in annoyance. "I just want to be alone. We're not obligated to spend every second of the day together Lucas." She stated._

" _I never said we had to." He spoke quietly. "But I like spending time with you, thought you felt the same too."_

 _He watched her shut her eyes and release a frustrated groan. "I can't do this right now Lucas. I'm really not in the mood." Peyton really didn't have to energy to deal with him right now. Her mind was all kinds of scrambled at this point no thanks to stupid Jake and his stupid marriage. "I will call you tomorrow, okay?" She needed a day to process and she needed to do it alone. She knew she was being a bitch, but he really did need to go. Lucas had nothing to do with this, this was her own mess that she needed to deal with. She just needed a day._

" _Alright then." He said quietly. "I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then…"_

" _Great then." Peyton spoke quickly eager for him to leave already._

 _When Lucas reached the doorframe he spun back around. "Wait I forgot to tell you something." He said with a small smile._

" _Can it wait?"_

" _It's quick." He promised. "I was talking to my mom earlier today and she's been wanting to meet you. She wants to have you over for dinner next week. I told her that Thursday would work best for us. I told her we'd bring dessert. She loves apple tart, so I'm thinking we could head to that little bakery –"_

 _Peyton's eyes narrowed immediately. "And why exactly would I do that?" She questioned in disbelief. "Lucas what have you been telling your mother about us?"_

 _Lucas shrugged. "Just that we've been seeing each other, that's all."_

 _Peyton scoffed. "Then why is she inviting me over to dinner then? And why would you tell her yes without talking to me first!" This thing between them was supposed to be casual. Mothers didn't just invite their son's summer fling over for dinner. That kind of thing fell under official girlfriend territory and Peyton did not feel comfortable with any of this. Not at all._

" _It's just dinner." Lucas defended. He knew he probably should have checked in with her first, but he got caught up in the excitement of having his mother meeting his sort of girlfriend, whom he was absolutely head over heels for. He knew Peyton wasn't keen on labeling their relationship at the moment, but he was determined to wear her down. This thing between them was anything but casual. He could feel it in his bones, and deep down inside he knew Peyton did too. She was just too scared to admit it._

" _Lucas, I am NOT your girlfriend." Feeling absolutely frustrated she stood up from the bed, tossing her sketch pad aside. "We talked about this. I made it very clear from the beginning that I wasn't looking for anything serious." She ran a hand across her face, sighing. "And you told me you were fine with that." She reminded him. "But if that's no longer the case then I think maybe this has run its course."_

 _His face dropped. "What the fuck?!" He snapped completely blindsided by her words._

" _What the fuck?" Peyton exclaimed shaking her head. "What the fuck is that we are not together like that. I was honest with you from the very beginning." She huffed. "And now you want me to meet your mom? I'm not comfortable with that." She crossed her arms in front of her chest._

" _Fine forget dinner then." He quickly mumbled. "It's not a big deal." He said wanting to take it all back._

 _Peyton shook her head. "It doesn't matter, it's already done. You're asking for more than I can give you. You know I don't plan on sticking around here. I can't be anyone's girlfriend right now."_

" _I'm not asking for anything. I made a mistake, but things can stay just the way they are. Okay?" Lucas spoke trying to appease her. He was starting to grow nervous. He had no idea a simple dinner would have set her off like this. "This doesn't have to be a big deal."_

 _It was too late for that she thought. "I...maybe…we should just end things before it gets too messy?" She offered._

 _Lucas promptly shook his head disagreeing. "You don't mean that." He spoke firmly._

" _No I think I do." Peyton retorted. "This was supposed to be casual Lucas, just a fling ya know? Nothing more."_

" _You don't mean that." He repeated. "I know you don't."_

" _Lucas –"_

" _You don't mean it!" He repeated louder this time. "This thing between us is more than just some stupid fling." He defended._

" _Maybe for you, but for me…"_

 _Lucas cut her off. "No. You're a liar." He said simply. "Because if that was the case, then all this would be is just fucking." He pointed out rather crudely. Peyton's jaw dropped astonished. "We wouldn't bother with all the other stuff. We'd just fuck each other and then go about our day. I think we both know that this is no friends with benefits arrangement here." He was referring to all the time they spent together outside of the bedroom. Sure they had plenty of sex, practically every day now, but they also shared more than just their bodies. They went on a lot of dates and did fun activities together. They stayed up many nights just talking, sharing their pasts, their hopes, their dreams and what they wanted out of life. They'd confided in each other over personal things they'd never shared even with their own best friends._

 _They also talked about their favorite books, movies, musicians and even silly trivial stuff like their favorite color. Sometimes they'd just sit together in a comfortable silence and speak very little. He'd be reading a book and she'd be drawing or sometimes just fiddling around with her music collection. He'd always bring her over a cup of coffee from the café on the days she worked down the block at the record store. She'd send him cute little text messages throughout the day, always mentioning at some point that she kind of missed his face, and he'd leave her little handwritten notes in the mornings after having slept over, not wanting to wake her up when he had to head to work. And she always stayed with him at Tric whenever it was his turn to close the club for the night, helping him with all sorts of tasks even though she didn't work there and wasn't getting paid for her time._

 _Just last week Lucas had been complaining about how he needed some new dress shirts for the nights he managed at Tric but just didn't have the time to go shopping. Two days later Peyton had surprised him with a gift box filled with new shirts. She had gone out of her way to drive out to the next town over, where his favorite clothing store resided – something he had mentioned in passing once – and she had purchased a few dress shirts in all the right colors he liked and the right sizes. He had no idea how she even knew his size, but she did. He had offered to reimburse her for the clothes since he knew he was making way more money than she was at her two part-time gigs, but she had stubbornly refused. So instead he decided to return the favor by ordering some rare Japanese import of some album she had been eyeing online the other day. It had set him back a few bucks, but he couldn't wait to see the look on her face when that album arrived. She was going to lose it and that made him happy. She made him happy. Everything about her made him happy._

 _And who went out of their way to do such thoughtful things just for some random fling?_

 _No one, that's who._

 _Peyton cared much more than she let on. She cared about him. And she was clearly upset about something and it was something beyond having dinner with his mother. Lucas knew that much._

" _Is that all I am to you Peyton? Just a good fuck?" He bluntly questioned. He needed to hear her deny it. Deny all of it._

 _Peyton swallowed thickly. "Maybe we're just better off as friends." She replied with eyes closed._

" _I have no interest in being your friend Peyton." That was never going to work, so he didn't know why she even bothered suggesting it. That was the last thing he wanted._

 _Peyton sighed sadly, like she had been expecting him to say that. "You should go." She finally spoke after a moment of deafening silence had passed between them._

" _Oh I'm not leaving." Lucas spoke stubbornly._

" _What do you mean you're not leaving?" She looked over at him like he was crazy. "Get out!"_

" _Not til you tell me what this is really about. You were clearly in a bad mood way before I even showed up today, so if you're gonna break up with me I damn sure wanna know why. I don't buy it for a second that this is about having dinner with my mom."_

" _No."_

" _No?"_

" _No." Peyton_ _repeated_ _._ _"I'm not doing this so please leave." She pointed to the door._

" _I'm not leaving." He mirrored her stance and crossed his own arms over his chest much to Peyton's irritation._

" _You are unbelievable." Peyton exclaimed. "Fine you can stay. I'll leave!" She announced as she swiped her keys off the desk._

 _Lucas grabbed Peyton, cupping her elbow, as she attempted to go around him. He gently pulled her towards him. "You're not going anywhere."_

 _Her eyes widened. "Have you gone completely insane?" She cried. "Get your hands off me." She commanded as she unsuccessfully tried to pull her arm away from his hold._

" _Why are you acting like this?" His expression was that of confused. "This isn't like you at all." He managed to pull her even closer, their faces practically touching._

 _Peyton rolled her eyes. He had some nerve assuming he knew her that well. They'd only been seeing each other for a month. "First of all, you don't know me." She finally managed to tear her arm away from his grasp. "And second of all…you don't know me." She spoke in a clipped tone and poked him hard in the chest with her finger._

 _His hand wrapped itself tightly around that very finger of hers. "Oh I know you." Lucas said confidently. He kissed her suddenly._

 _For a brief moment she got caught up in those perfect lips of his and kissed him back. She pulled back just as suddenly as he had kissed her, scolding herself for getting roped into that kiss. "Luke, it's only been a little over a month since we started seeing each other." She sighed. "You don't know me as well as you think."_

 _Lucas released his grip on her lone finger. "So give me a chance to get to know you better then." He gave her a small smile. "This doesn't have to be over just yet. Admit it, we're kind of good together."_

 _Peyton let out a deep breath. She abandoned him at the door and returned to her bed to sit down before leaning back until she hit the mattress. It was true, they were kind of good together, but she had spent almost five years being someone else's girlfriend, being half of a pair. She honestly didn't know if she was ready to dive into another relationship, especially since it had taken her so long to get over her last one. Peyton never thought in a million years she'd be stuck back home, not engaged, and with no job prospects. She had been so close to everything she wanted and it all got fucked up in the end. There was no LA, no Jake, no ring and no job in the music industry. Her entire world had kind of just fallen apart this past year._

 _Where had she gone wrong?_

 _And she liked Lucas, she really did, but it was just all too much all too fast. He didn't seem to think all of this was going too fast, but she sure did and it terrified her._

 _She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that Lucas had joined her on the bed until he spoke again. They laid in bed shoulder to shoulder. "Can we just talk about all of this? Did I do something to scare you off or…?_

" _I just found out that Jake's getting married." She blurted out as she stared up at the ceiling._

 _Lucas paused. That explained a lot. "Oh." He wasn't sure of what else to say._

" _I just needed the day Lucas. That's why I wanted you to leave me alone. I just needed to deal with it on my own."_

" _You told me you were over him." He hadn't intended to, but the words sort of spilled out of his mouth in the form of an accusation. He had no right to feel betrayed, after all they weren't even an official couple and they certainly hadn't been together that long, but they had a relationship nonetheless and it bothered him that her ex-boyfriend still had this effect on her. Peyton had informed him on all the details surrounding the breakup with Jake._

 _He just got her and he was losing her already? Or maybe the reality of it was that he never really had her to begin with. Peyton had been so quick to suggest they breakup that perhaps he really didn't know her as well as he thought he did. Had he been so blind with his own infatuation for her that he failed to notice that maybe she didn't want him as much as he wanted her? It was possible._

" _I am." She said defensively and it was true._

 _She was over Jake._

 _Indefinitely._

 _But it still fucking hurt._

" _Then who fucking cares? He was the one who was dumb enough to let you go and if he was dumb enough to do that then he never really deserved you in the first place." Lucas sat up on the bed shaking his head. "So he's getting married. Big fucking deal. Why do you care so much?"_

 _Peyton clenched her jaw. Lucas just didn't get it, but this wasn't for him to get anyway, so he really had no business getting involved in the first place, and she mostly certainly hadn't asked for his two cents on the matter. He had no business telling her how she should or shouldn't be feeling right now. It had nothing to do with him and she was allowed to feel or care in whatever way she damn pleased. "Why do I care?" She released a bitter laugh. "Why do I care?!" She practically yelled after springing off the bed. "Because that was supposed to be me! That's why!" Her hand flew to her chest. "Me. It was supposed to be me!" She spoke, the anger inside of her exploding. "That was supposed to be MY ring on MY finger. That was supposed to be MY wedding that I'd be planning. Right about now I'd be moving into my new apartment in LA and I'd still be working at that record label. But NO, instead I'm back here STUCK in this SHITTY town, practically unemployed and working two SHITTY jobs that have absolutely nothing to do with what I really want to do! So yea Lucas I do care. I kind of care that my life kind of sucks ass right now and it's all because some stupid WHORE decided she was entitled to my boyfriend." Peyton took a much needed breath after her long rant. Her hands were shaking pretty badly right now and honestly she was pretty mortified at herself for just blowing up like that. Why hadn't Lucas just left her alone like she had initially requested?_

 _Lucas just looked up at her from the bed completely taken aback at her outburst. He remained silent and stood up. "Maybe you're right." He spoke making eye contact. "Maybe...we shouldn't see each other anymore." He said with a pained face. He had been wrong all along. Peyton really didn't see anything beyond a fling with him and that was his own damn fault, after all she had been honest about what she wanted from the very beginning and he had chosen to dismiss that, hoping that it could eventually turn into something more. He'd never wanted someone so much like the way he wanted her and that had clouded his judgment._

 _He was wrong._

 _And he felt like such an idiot right now._

" _Okay then." Peyton croaked out feeling a small lump form in her throat. This wasn't the way she had wanted to end things between them. Not like this, not so strained. But maybe it was for the best, before they both got too attached to one another._

 _Lucas slowly nodded. "Okay."_

 _Peyton closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened them Lucas was gone._

 _As she stared out into her empty doorway, her mind couldn't help but wonder if she had just made the biggest mistake letting Lucas walk out of her life._

* * *

So in this chapter we saw Leyton kind of crash and burn in both the present and past.

Thoughts? Questions? Loved it, hated it? I wanna hear what you have to say!

Next up: The next morning and Leyton heads back to NYC.


	23. Sorry

Reviews

 **Mia** \- At this point it was impossible for Lucas not to react. He had been holding these feelings in for some time, so he definitely needed to stand up for himself. Peyton has her work cut out for her, so good luck to her! Glad you really liked the flashback scenes.

 **Tpassions** \- Yes, as you saw in the flashback, Jake was a cause of strife between Lucas and Peyton early in their relationship, but definitely not to the degree that it affects them in the present. Peyton was indeed over Jake by the time she met Lucas. Her bitterness over the news of his pending nuptials has more to do with the fact that her life isn't anywhere near where she had envisioned it to be at that point, and this started to occur after her and Jake broke up.

 **Chilarie07** \- Exactly, people say a lot of things they don't necessary mean in the heat of the moment. Peyton realizes this fairly quickly.

 **Sunnyde123** \- I mean clearly (past) Peyton and Lucas do get back together otherwise they would have never gotten married. You'll see how that happens within the next two to three chapters. I don't plan on dragging that out. As for present-day Leyton, Lucas is not gonna bend so easily. He's angry and heartbroken, and will be doubting anything that comes out of Peyton's mouth at this point.

 **leyte** **-** Yes I'm glad you picked up on that! I really did want the early days of Leyton's relationship in this story to somewhat mirror that of their's during the beginning of season one, where Peyton was far to insecure and scared to start a real relationship with Lucas, while that was all he really wanted from the very beginning.

 **itsnjm1** \- That's awesome that it was your favorite chapter! Thanks for reading!

 **Annie** \- Haha didn't mean to kill you with this chapter, but we all knew everything that took place needed to happen! lol. I can totally see why you wanted Peyton to 'stfu'. She screwed up, BIG TIME. She's not gonna wait to fix things, she knows she's in the wrong. Her real obstacle is whether or not Lucas will allow her to make amends.

 **prankgurl** \- Is your heart still racing? lol. Here's the next chapter, the wait is over.

 **Mufc87** \- Peyton's selfishness has definitely put her marriage in jeopardy. She has taken Luke for granted, but the good thing is that she will come to grips with her behavior very quickly. She's not excusing it this time around, memory loss or not.

 **Guest** \- Their trip to Tree Hill is around the corner, so we'll see if any progress is made before then! As for an appearance by the Rivercourt crew, those guys have a special place in my heart, so a little facetime with them isn't out of the question.

 **Guest** \- I'm glad I could supply very good drama for you! lol. Also thrilled to hear you're loving the mix of flashbacks and present scenes! I'm having a lot of fun putting them together.

 **Guest** \- Glad you loved it and the drama. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

 **Guest** \- Thank you so much! I have to be honest I kind of teared up myself when I wrote that part of the "I don't love you then" scene, especially when writing Lucas' words to Peyton after.

 **Guest** \- As you can see I have not delayed the next update! Enjoy!

 **Guest** \- If you remember from a few chapters ago, Peyton has read Lucas' first novel and this will come into play during this chapter, enjoy.

* * *

So everyone pretty much lost it (in a good way) with that last chapter. The feedback was incredible and lots of people were shocked and even appalled at Peyton's behavior. It seems like a lot of you are also enjoying the fact that Lucas isn't the 'bad guy' in this story and not the one messing up. I know Peyton's kind of unbearable and selfish right now, but please keep the faith! She's gonna get it together eventually. This is just the journey she has to go through right now.

I wasn't planning on posting this chapter til Sunday, but the response to the last chapter was so incredibly overwhelming that I decided to post it today instead. You guys are so fucking amazing and I can never thank you enough for reading this thing. I never imagined my return to fanfiction this past summer to be so welcoming, so thank you.

Just a heads up that we've got appearances by the core five in this chapter, mainly because I kind of been missing writing Brooke, Haley & Nathan. Enjoy!

Chapter Track: 'Sorry' by Justin Bieber

* * *

Chapter 23: Sorry

Peyton had spent the whole night waiting on Lucas, while repeatedly calling and texting his phone, each attempt left unanswered on his end. She had cried an endless river of tears for most of the evening over their fight, her foolishness, and his leaving.

Sleeping was out of the question. She tried getting under the covers at one point, unable to fall asleep. So she just sat there in bed, in their poor dimmed room waiting for his return. Eventually she grew restless from just sitting there. She needed to keep busy, so she began packing her suitcase, tidying up the hotel room, making the bed, taking a shower and getting ready for the day even though it was barely four in the morning.

She was starting to get worried too.

What if something horrible had happened to him? Lucas wasn't anywhere near familiar with this city like she was. Who knows where he had wandered off to in his rage?

Their fight was on a countless loop in her head, replaying over and over again. She kept thinking about how she could have done things differently and how she wanted more than anything to take it all back.

She had said some terrible things last night.

And so had he, but hers – those string of words that forced Peyton to cringe every single time she said them over and over in her head; those words that had spilled out of her mouth had ultimately ruined it all. Lucas would have never walked out on her like that if she hadn't said them. Maybe they'd still be up arguing now, but she would have preferred that over his disappearing act. She'd rather have him here with her hashing out things. Him walking out was far more painful than any verbal fight between them.

She hated it when people walked away. It had happened so many times before in the past, evolving into this deep-seated insecurity within her that she had never been able to shake off. If people always left, then she must be the problem, the reason why they did it.

And in this case it was true. She was the problem. He was gone and it was nobody's fault but her own.

What if Lucas never forgave her?

What was she supposed to do then?

She couldn't just move on without him.

She didn't want to move on without him.

She hadn't meant what she said. Not a word. It was just something cruelly done in the heat of the moment. She had been angry and felt like Lucas had been ganging up on her. She would have never said it otherwise. Not that it was a great excuse to begin with.

Was she ready to tell Lucas that she loved him?

Absolutely not.

She was still getting to know him after all, but that didn't mean that she didn't care for him deeply. That she didn't see herself falling in love with him, because she most certainly did, even if she wasn't quite ready to admit it out loud. He had become so important to her in such a short amount of time and that was something that she had never experienced before.

With anyone.

There was no way Peyton could deny that there wasn't a connection there. There was this ridiculously strong pull between her and Lucas, both in the physical and emotional sense. In the beginning her physical attraction to Lucas had sort of outweighed her newly developed feelings for him. He made her feel safe and loved, and she loved the way he held her, kissed her and made her body sing. It all felt good. He comforted her.

But it was different now.

The couple of days they had spent apart while he had been in Chicago had put a lot of things into perspective for her, especially after reading 'An Unkindness of Ravens'. Reading that book had made her husband less of an enigma. It had given her clarity over their relationship in many ways, now that she realized just how connected they were on certain things – things that most people didn't have the misfortunate of experiencing at such a young age. Peyton knew now that Lucas understood her better than anyone else on this planet. And up until yesterday the time they had spent together in LA had only brought them closer.

She didn't want that to end. How could she have been so stupid?

The one question that kept ringing in her ears over and over again was 'why did she care?'

If she felt this way about Lucas, then why did she care so damn much about Jake being married? It didn't make any sense the more she thought about it. Her reaction had been childish and just plain stupid. The news of Jake being married had just sort of blindsided her, but really what had she expected? That Jake didn't have a life of his own six years after they had parted ways?

Her whole world had been turned upside since her accident. Everything she knew had been ripped away so suddenly and maybe a small part of her had hoped Jake was still the same. That he was still the same boy she loved as a teen and that he would be there for her through this tragedy, just like he had been there for her during all the other bad stuff that had happened to her.

Clearly she had been delusional.

And honestly it was sort of sick and twisted the more the blonde scrutinized over her poor reaction and reasoning behind the whole incident. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair to Lucas. He was so good to her and she had unknowingly taken it for granted.

The one thing she had promised herself, and to Brooke, and to Lucas, was never wanting to hurt him and she had broken that promise. She had managed to go ahead and hurt him anyway all because she couldn't accept the things he was yelling to her face. All things that were mostly true, and she was too stubborn to acknowledge them because that meant admitting what an awful person she had become, even if she had been oblivious to it in some ways.

Lucas wasn't the selfish one, she was. And once Peyton realized that she decided right then and there that she didn't care if she never saw Jake again for the rest of her life. She didn't need him to save her, and make her feel safe and sane. That job was already filled.

By Lucas.

Peyton didn't want anyone else but him. It wasn't even a competition really at this point. Lucas was far more important and Jake was someone that she needed to let go, even if bits of her still felt something for him. As real as it felt, that love wasn't real, not anymore. The old her before the accident had gotten the time to mourn the loss of that relationship and move on from it. And though her memory loss didn't offer her the same luxury of getting over her ex-boyfriend, Peyton knew she had to somehow figure out how to push through it and move on. It was a crutch that was holding her back from Lucas and she didn't want it anymore. She had no use for it.

The look on Lucas' face last night told her that she had absolutely crushed him with her words. She should have never said them.

How the fuck was she going to fix this?

* * *

A couple of hours later just as the sun was beginning to rise over the LA skyline, Peyton jumped up from her spot on the bed as she heard the familiar click of a keycard being swiped, unlocking the door.

"Your back." She said softly as she watched Lucas enter the room. "I got worried." Frankly at one point she had thought that Lucas had hopped on a flight back to New York without her. She was relieved that wasn't the case.

"Oh she cares now." Lucas grumbled walking past her to pick up his suitcase before tossing it on the bed. "We have to get to the airport soon, I had little choice but to come back." He reminded her harshly.

Her nose involuntary scrunched up after catching a whiff of his scent when he had passed her. He reeked of alcohol. Well now she knew where he had been all night. At a bar, probably the hotel bar too. She was such an idiot for not checking down there in the first place. "I care." She spoke firmly.

"Whatever you say." Lucas mocked as he began to gather his things and tossed them into his suitcase, not bothering to fold or rearrange anything.

"Are you drunk?" She accused.

"Not anymore." He responded in a clipped tone as he grabbed a change of clothes for himself and headed into the bathroom, closing and locking the door shut behind him. The idiot bartender had cut him off hours ago, so he had just sat in a booth the rest of the night sulking in his own misery after sobriety had hit.

Peyton sat back down on the bed, waiting patiently for Lucas as she heard him go shower and brush his teeth from behind the door. She attempted to review all the right things she wanted to say to him in the meantime. There was clearly a lot of groveling to be done.

Fifteen minutes later Lucas reappeared with all his toiletries in hand and tossed those into his suitcase as well.

"We should talk." Peyton told him.

"There's nothing left to say." He said coldly. He didn't bother looking over at her as he continued to gather his things into his suitcase.

She could already start to feel a small lump forming in the back of her throat. "We have to talk about this Lucas…I –"

"I said everything I needed to say. I'm done talking Peyton." Lucas spoke quickly.

"I just need you to listen for a second –"

He cut her off again. "No offense Peyton, but for the first time ever I could actually care less about what you need or want."

Peyton blinked back some tears.

"Shocking I know." Lucas mocked while rolling his eyes.

Peyton took in a deep breath trying to find the courage to speak up again. Lucas had no interested in hearing her out, but she still had to try, regardless of his desire not to participate in a conversation. He couldn't exactly press a mute button if she started talking anyway, so she stood up from the bed once more and began.

"What I said last night was awful, but I swear to you I didn't mean it. I never meant to hurt you. You're wrong about me not caring. I care so much about you. And you're wrong to think that you mean nothing to me. You're the one who means everything to me Lucas and I guess at one point maybe I am guilty for thinking that it was Jake, but he's not who I want. Everything I've said to you on this trip wasn't a lie. I want you, I still do."

She took in another deep breath. "I read your novel while you were in Chicago, the first one. And ever since you have no idea how much I wished I had noticed you back then. I think about it constantly. I always felt so out of place at times in high school because no one ever really understood me. People were always sympathetic over all the things that happened to me, which only made me angry most of the time because I hated having people feel sorry for me. And you were right under my nose the whole time, someone who was going through a lot of the same things I was, someone who could actually get me. If I had noticed you then maybe I wouldn't have felt so alone all the time. Maybe we could have been really good friends and probably much more than that." She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "And it kills me to think that had I just noticed you then maybe my memory loss would be a less painful, and less torturous because I would have remembered you now. I'd have at least some memories of you, of us together, and I'm almost certain that I would fallen in love with you then. Even if they're just from high school, I would have memories of you had I just given you the time of day. And thinking about all that and what could have been just makes me realize that not noticing you back then will be the biggest mistake of my entire life if I never recover my memories. It really hurts to think about that…"

Peyton looked at Lucas hoping he would say something. "Caring about you is not an issue. Wanting to be with you is not an issue. Those things come easy, somewhat naturally if I'm being completely honest, and it's kind of scary, but it's also kind of wonderful." She paused for a brief moment before speaking again. "I am so sorry about what I said last night. I didn't mean it. I just got caught up in the heat of the moment and I know that's not an excuse, but please believe me that I never meant to hurt you. I just want us to be happy and I'm finally ready to do that. I won't sabotage us again, I swear I won't. Please believe it."

The silence from Lucas' side of the room remained, speaking volumes, and Peyton's heart dropped when she realized that he really wasn't going to say anything at all. Lucas wasn't even making eye contact, he hadn't the entire time she had spoken. He just stood there with his eyes to the ground, pretending to be extremely busy with his suitcase as he carelessly moved items around. It was like she hadn't spoken at all. His face was emotionless, like her words hadn't affected him at all.

Peyton swallowed the lump in her throat while silently willing herself not to breakdown and cry in front of Lucas right now. "Can you please say something?" She pleaded with him.

Lucas sadly shook his head and continued to pack silently. He just wasn't ready to talk to her yet. Even if she really did mean all those things she had just confessed – as wonderful as they were – everything from last night was much too fresh. It was an open wound that hurt like hell right now. For once Lucas was perfectly okay with putting his feelings above Peyton's. Considering the circumstances who could blame him? Roughly six years with this woman, the love of his life, and their relationship was barely hanging on a thread right now. It was all close to crashing down and he could hardly bare it.

Peyton wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "I…I guess I'll go ahead and check us out then. I'll see you downstairs." She quickly gathered her luggage and exited the room. She thought she would feel better after exiting the room and removing herself from the thick tension in the air, but there was no such luck. She felt like she couldn't breathe as her hands went up to her chest, clutching the fabric of her shirt tightly.

What if he never forgave her?

* * *

By the time Lucas had made it downstairs he found Peyton already waiting for him in the passenger seat of their rental. He threw his things into the trunk of the car and wordlessly slipped into the driver's seat and drove them to the airport. After going through the process of checking-in and airport security, Lucas mumbled something about meeting Peyton at the gate as he walked ahead, like he couldn't get away from her fast enough. She watched him enter a restaurant and head straight to the bar, where he sat down and ordered a drink.

Peyton sighed sadly, but decided it was best not to pursue him. She aimlessly walked around the airport for a good twenty minutes before stopping at a newsstand to pick up a magazine and a few snacks for the flight. After that she grabbed some coffee and breakfast at the food court before making her way towards the gate. Lucas wasn't there yet so she just sat in the corner waiting as she sipped on her coffee. When the plane finally started to board Lucas didn't show up until the very last minute.

"You didn't have to wait. You could have boarded without me." He told her as they boarded the plane together and took their seats. He sounded pretty irritated over it too.

She noticed he was surprisingly calm during take-off for someone who had a fear of flying, but then she quickly deduced that was probably because he had just knocked back a couple of drinks at the bar to calm his nerves, and of course to avoid her all together. When the flight attendant came around taking drink orders, Lucas quickly ordered another alcoholic drink. He downed it fairly quickly and before Peyton could blink he had passed out and slept throughout the entire five hour flight back to New York.

She held back tears the entire time as her guilt continued to consume her.

When they arrived at their apartment hours later, Lucas dumped his things in the living room, grabbed some food from the kitchen and locked himself up in his office.

That was three days ago.

These past three days had been the absolute worse as Lucas continued to give her the cold shoulder. He only spoke to her when necessary and in less words as humanely possible. If he wasn't in his office, he'd be out of the apartment for hours at a time never telling her about his whereabouts. He was back to sleeping on the couch and had moved enough of his things out of the bedroom so that he didn't have to enter the room often.

The irony of the situation hadn't escaped Peyton in the slightest. She was getting a bitter taste of her own medicine. She had basically treated Lucas just about the same during her stay at the hospital, where he had spent the majority of his time sitting out in the waiting room because she had gone out of her way to limit their contact. Though in her opinion he was still being much meaner than she had been, not that she didn't deserve it. She had fucked up their relationship stupendously.

She had approached him a couple of times to talk, but Lucas had brushed her off each time. Undoubtedly he needed more time, but Peyton sure didn't, as a matter of fact she was going crazy. How the hell had Lucas been able to suffer through this silent treatment for weeks at the hospital? It was killing her.

She missed him.

Despite him being down the hall, they might as well have been miles apart with the way her heart ached for him. She cried herself to sleep every night hating the fact that the only person who could take this pain away currently wanted nothing to do with her.

Peyton woke up this morning dead tired and with a terrible migraine. Her head was pounding and she felt a bit nauseated. With the little sleep she had been getting recently, and on top of that she hadn't been eating well, she wasn't at all surprised that her body was reacting in protest to this neglect. So she climbed out of bed, and after washing her face and brushing her teeth, she headed to the kitchen to fix herself a hearty breakfast, even though she didn't have much of an appetite at the moment.

She found Lucas at the sink washing up some dirty dishes.

"Good morning." She spoke making her presence known.

Lucas briefly looked her way and replied. "Morning." His tone wasn't clipped for once, but it wasn't exactly welcoming either.

Peyton sighed but said nothing else. It was going to be another long day of him barely tolerating her. She tried her hardest to push it aside as she stepped further into the kitchen. She reached to open the cabinet that he was situated in front of and Lucas bent back slightly, giving her enough room to reach for a coffee mug. Peyton grabbed a mug and padded over towards the coffee maker, pouring herself a very generous amount of coffee. She winced as she felt her migraine increase in intensity. She began rubbing her temple willing for the pain to disappear.

"What's wrong with you?" Lucas coolly questioned after witnessing her actions.

"Migraine."

"Take some Motrin." He lamely replied. He finished rinsing the last dish, placing it on the dish rack. "I'll be out for most of the day." He informed Peyton before exiting the kitchen to go finish getting ready.

Peyton huffed as she watched him go. She then sat at the kitchen table flipping through a b. Davis magazine (because of course Brooke had her own magazine) as she finished her coffee. She decided to shower first before breakfast, hoping that it would bring some relief to her body's discomfort. She returned to the kitchen twenty minutes later in her bathrobe, judging by how silent the apartment was she could tell Lucas had already left for the day.

She began pulling out milk, eggs, butter, cheese, sausages and a pepper for an omelet. It was one of the very few meals she could actually put together without messing it up. She threw a slice of bread in the toaster as well. After making her breakfast, she grabbed a glass of OJ before sitting down to eat.

Peyton was halfway through her omelet when she noticed the lone white bottle of Motrin on the table. It most certainly hadn't been sitting there earlier. She reached for the bottle, cracked it open and took two tablets with her juice.

She couldn't help the small smile that crept on her lips.

It was a small gesture really, practically insignificant, but it was still progress nonetheless.

It was a small sign that he still cared.

And it gave Peyton hope.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2009**_

" _Lucas Scott!"_

 _Not recognizing the voice Lucas looked up from his conversation with Jamie to see the last person he'd ever expect to be acknowledging his presence. There stood Brooke Davis dressed in an orange summer dress and matching sandals, giving him a dimpled smile. He frowned suddenly feeling wary over the encounter. Hell he didn't even think that she actually knew his name, let alone recognized his face._

 _Brooke had spotted Lucas from across the street recognizing him from that one picture Peyton had shown her. Naturally she had to introduce herself, even though Peyton had refused to do it, but Peyton wasn't here now, so Brooke had no one to stop her. She was practically giddy as she skipped down the street to meet him._

" _Yea?" Lucas eventually replied as he felt Jamie's tiny hand slip into his._

" _Oh I'm Brooke –"_

" _Brooke Davis, yea I know."_

 _Brooke immediately grinned, her pearly whites on full display. "Oh so you know me huh?" She replied a little smug._

" _I think everyone we went to high school with knew who you were. You weren't exactly a wallflower." He pointed out._

 _Brooke shrugged her shoulders looking proudly. "I guess I did manage to leave quite the impression behind."_

" _Yea something like that." Lucas muttered. She had been quite promiscuous during high school and even when she finally did get a boyfriend, her and Felix Taggero were constantly feuding in public and when they weren't fighting they had their tongues shoved down each other's throats. Though apparently neither of them cared that the rest of the student body had no desire to witness any of it._

" _Are you sure you went to high school with us?" Brooke questioned with both eyebrows raised._

" _Yea, pretty sure..." He replied deadpanned._

" _Just seems like I would have remembered someone who looked like you." She teased while throwing him a flirty wink._

 _Lucas brushed off the comment. "So did you need…something?" He was still confused as to why they were talking in the first place, especially since he hadn't met Brooke during his brief month together with Peyton. And since they had called it quits the week before, there really was no reason for Brooke to be talking to him anyway._

 _Brooke sent him a full on dimpled grin. "So I'm sure you know by now that we got the house and are you free Friday? Because Chase is and I figured you two can help us move around some furniture and things. I kind of want to rearrange a bit."_

" _Huh?" Lucas frowned some more._

" _Oh duh…sorry." Brooke chuckled. "Chase is my boyfriend." She informed Lucas assuming that was the reason behind the look of confusion he wore._

 _Lucas raised an eyebrow. Since he and Peyton were done of course he hadn't known that the girls had indeed gotten that beach house, but apparently Brooke wasn't up-to-date on everything either. "Have you seen Peyton recently?" He questioned._

 _The brunette shook her head. "No I just flew into town this morning and the movers should be arriving later today with all my things." She explained. "I've been running around doing errands and besides P Sawyer is working at the…"_

" _Record store." Lucas finished for her. At this point he knew Peyton's schedule by heart, which was why he had entirely avoided the block where she worked today._

" _Exactly, so probably won't see her til tonight or tomorrow."_

 _Lucas nodded now understanding that for some reason Peyton had yet to inform her best friend that they were no longer seeing each other._

" _Uncle Lucas can we please go get ice cream now." Jamie Scott tugged his uncle's hand impatiently._

 _Lucas looked down at that familiar head of blond hair. "In a second J Luke, promise." He told his nephew with a big smile._

" _And who is this?" Brooke said in a big voice as she bent down to talk to Jamie. "Hi there."_

" _I'm James Lucas Scott, age 4!"_

 _Brooke smiled before looking back up at Lucas to laugh. This little boy was ridiculously adorable and it warmed her heart._

" _Well James Lucas Scott, I'm Brooke Penelope Davis."_

" _How old are you?" Jamie innocently questioned._

" _A lady never tells." Brooke teased him._

 _Jamie rolled his eyes dramatically. "That's what my mama says." He replied while nodding, making Brooke laugh out once more._

" _This is my nephew." Lucas explained._

 _Brooke looked back up at Lucas. "Oh my god this is Nathan's son?!"_

" _You know my dad?!" Jamie spoke excitedly with wide eyes._

 _Brooke turned back to face Jamie. "I sure do. We went to school together. He used to be a very good friend of mine. When you see him, tell him I said hi okay?"_

 _Jamie eagerly nodded._

" _Cool." Brooke fluffed his hair a bit before standing up once more. "Man Peyton said you guys looked similar, but wow." She commented, her voice in amazement. "You guys are like twins." She joked. "You sure this isn't your kid?" She teased suggestively. They really did look alike._

" _I'm pretty sure." An unimpressed voice spoke startling Brooke._

 _Brooke turned around to see a woman with short brown hair standing there. She was holding a tray that held three ice cream cones. The woman looked over at Brooke with deep discontent._

" _Mama!" Jamie ran to his mother's side._

" _You guys took too long meeting me at the ice cream shop." Haley announced as she lifted a cone off the tray and handed it down to Jamie._

" _Sorry about that." Lucas took the ice cream that Haley offered. "Got a little sidetracked." He explained why motioning over to Brooke. "Um Brooke this is Haley."_

 _Brooke nodded remembering Nathan's high school girlfriend, turned wife and now mother of his child. "Yea, tutor girl right?" She gave her a soft smile._

 _Haley scowled. "It's Haley." She replied sternly. She had never liked that high school nickname dubbed by the majority of the popular kids, with Brooke being the ringleader. They had either called her tutor girl or Nathan's girlfriend because apparently learning her actual name was far too much effort._

" _Right…" Brooke replied picking up on the tension. "Okay well I need to be heading back, the movers should be home soon. Nice meeting you both, um Lucas I guess I'll see you this weekend right?"_

 _Lucas offered a noncommittal shrug._

" _Bye!" Brooke then turned to Jamie. "Catch you later little man." She told the child, who was already half through his ice cream cone, sending him a small wink before making her way down the street._

" _She sure hasn't changed much huh?" Haley sarcastically commented once Brooke was out of earshot. "And why does she think she's seeing you this weekend?" She raised an eyebrow at her best friend demanding an answer._

 _Lucas chuckled. It was no secret that Haley had never been a big fan of Brooke Davis. "I get the impression Peyton hasn't told her yet that we're done. They're moving into their new house and I was supposed to help Peyton with the move." Lucas explained before taking a giant lick of his ice cream._

" _Ohhh." Haley nodded now getting it._

" _But you can breathe easy Hales, chances are that'll be the very last Brooke Davis encounter you'll ever have to endure."_

" _Thank god for small miracles." Haley muttered._

 _She then winced. The only reason she'd never have to see Brooke Davis again was because Lucas and Peyton were no longer whatever it was they were._

" _I'm sorry." She said giving him a sad smile._

" _I'll be fine Hales." He said with a shrug._

" _I know you will." She nodded confidently. "It still sucks. You seemed really happy. I know how much you really liked her." Haley took Jamie's free hand as the trio began walking down main street together._

 _Lucas sighed. "The feelings weren't as mutual as I thought they were I guess…it's fine." He reassured her, though Haley wasn't left convinced. Truth was he wasn't fine. Lucas had been kind of miserable this past week, despite the brave face he was trying to put forward. Much to his dismay he hadn't heard from Peyton at all and he sure as hell wasn't going to contact her. He was going to keep what little dignity he had left. He wasn't going to beg Peyton to be with him._

" _No it's not." Haley argued. "She sucks and you didn't deserve that. As far as I'm concerned she's absolutely insane for letting you go like that. She'll regret it, you'll see."_

" _As much as I'd like to, it'd be wrong to place all the blame on Peyton. She was clear about what she wanted from the very beginning and I tricked myself into believing that I could handle a more casual relationship just because I wanted her so badly." Lucas admitted._

 _Haley tried her best not to laugh as she realized something._

" _What?" Lucas said with a frown. It wasn't meant to be funny. It all came across as pretty pathetic really._

" _It's just…you've done casual before." She reminded him. "In college. A lot."_

" _So?"_

" _If this was any other girl I think a summer fling wouldn't be out of the question for you. The only reason you couldn't handle it this time is because it was Peyton. You've basically been in love with this girl since you were 12, you loser."_

 _The blond's frown set in deeper. Damn she was right. "Anyone ever tell you how annoyingly perceptive you are?"_

 _Haley laughed. "Yup. You."_

" _Well stop it, it's annoying." He said looking serious for a moment before cracking a smile as they continued their leisurely stroll._

 _Meanwhile a few blocks away, Peyton was in the middle of her shift, sitting behind the counter while she flipped through an issue of Rolling Stone. She heard the door of the store open and looked up to greet the new customer. She was stunned when she realized who had just walked in._

" _Well, well, look at what we have here." He greeted with that cocky grin Peyton was all too familiar with, despite the fact that it had been four years since she last caught sight of it._

" _Nathan…hi?" Truthfully she didn't know why she was so surprised to see Nathan again. After all she knew he lived back home now, well at least half the time when he wasn't in Charlotte playing in the NBA._

 _Nathan chuckled. "Been a long time." He said as he walked down an aisle and casually browsed through some CDs._

" _Sure has." She replied. "And the years have been good to you from what I've seen. Congrats on getting drafted Nate. You really did it."_

 _Nathan shrugged. "Just lucky I guess."_

" _Luck has nothing to do with it." Peyton quickly corrected him. Nathan had always been a lazy asshole, but the only thing he never fucked around with was basketball. It was the only thing he took seriously while they had dated, which is exactly why the broke up in the first place. "You've always been a good player."_

 _Nathan smirked. "Trust me when I say being a good player isn't enough to get you signed. There are hundreds of players just as good as me or maybe even better. I was just lucky enough to get noticed."_

 _Her mouth dropped slightly. Since when was Nathan Scott so humble, and about basketball of all things? "Okay who are you and what have you done with Nathan Scott?" Lucas had mentioned that Nathan had changed, but she never truly believed it._

 _He laughed and continued to flip through another row of CDs._

 _Peyton observed him for a minute realizing something was off. "The rap section is down there." She pointed out wondering what he was doing. In high school the boy had only listened to rap music and she doubted his taste in music had evolved much since then._

 _Nathan took a closer look realizing he had been flipping through the country music section. "So you and Lucas huh?" He spoke in a suggestive tone as he returned the CD in his hands to its rightful spot._

 _She groaned internally. So that's why Nathan was here. Subtlety had never been his forte. He wasn't here to buy anything. "Are we really doing this?" She frowned._

" _It was just a question." He spoke innocently._

" _Right." She sarcastically replied, shaking her head. "Let me know if you need help finding anything." She said before returning to her magazine._

" _Are you into him?"_

 _Peyton's eyes flew back up to gaze at Nathan again. "Excuse me?"_

" _Lucas, are you into him?" Nathan repeated the question._

" _I'm not seeing Lucas anymore." She stated as she wondered why Nathan was asking that question._

" _That's not what I asked."_

" _Why do you care?" The blonde questioned while shooting Nathan a skeptical look. She was trying to figure out what his angle was._

" _He's my brother." Nathan quickly answered._

 _Peyton snorted. "Ha! Since when?" He sure hated Lucas' guts in high school and even longer before that._

 _Nathan shrugged. "For a while now."_

 _Peyton sighed. "Of course I liked him. I wouldn't have been with him if I didn't." She replied, finally answering his inquiry and wanting to be done with this conversation. This past week had dragged on rather painfully and Peyton was well aware that it had everything to do with her decision to end things with Lucas. It was weird not seeing him anymore, in fact it downright sucked. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about Lucas, it would only serve to bum her out further._

 _Nathan shook his head, unsatisfied with her answer. "I didn't ask if you like him, I asked if you're into him, like REALLY into him."_

" _Why does it matter?" Peyton replied dismissively. "It's over between us."_

" _Yea I figured that part out seeing how he's kind of been a miserable little bitch this past week."_

 _Peyton scowled at the raven haired man. "Real nice Nate." She rolled her eyes in disapproval._

 _Nathan shrugged. "I'm his brother, busting his balls kind of comes with the territory." He defended._

" _Whatever."_

" _So answer the question already." Nathan pressed on._

 _Peyton scoffed. She was just about ready to kick Nathan's ass out of the store. It was weird to her that he was so insistent on pursuing these questions, especially since she had dated him and had now sort of dated his brother too. "Honestly why do you care so much?" She snapped. "Why the sudden interest in Lucas' love life?"_

" _Because I want to know whether or not I'm wasting my time here." Nathan admitted. "Lucas is a good guy Peyton. You should give him a real shot."_

 _The blonde's face fell. She had assumed Nathan had only come to tease her about Lucas. She never expected him to be here advocating on Lucas' behalf. "Did he send you?" Her voice curious and maybe a tad hopeful at the prospect._

 _Nathan shook his head. "Nah he wouldn't send me. He's far too stubborn for that. Just like someone else I used to know…" He teased._

" _I know Luke is a good guy Nate, that wasn't the problem." She clarified for him. "We just want different things."_

" _You fail to remember that I dated you." He reminded her._

" _How could I forget." She mocked dramatically placing a hand over her chest._

" _Well I'd like to think that I know you pretty well or at least I did back then, and you and Lucas are basically the same person."_

 _Peyton shook her head. "We are not." She disagreed._

" _Okay well maybe not exactly the same, but you're similar." Nathan appeased. "When Luke first told me that you guys were seeing each other, I honestly could see why."_

" _Really?" She said suspiciously._

" _Sure. You guys kind of make sense, more than you and Jagielski ever did. I never really got that to be honest."_

" _Well you and Jake weren't exactly close." Peyton pointed out. "And I'm sure plenty of people said the same thing about you and your wife back then. Not a lot of people got that either."_

" _Fair enough." Nathan conceded. "Listen, all I'm trying to say is that if Luke is into you and you're into him then there's really nothing holding you back from giving it a go. If you're both going to be miserable, might as well be miserable together." He joked._

 _Peyton was about to protest, but Nathan cut right in._

" _Look there's always gonna be excuses for why two people shouldn't be together, but wouldn't you rather know that you gave it your all even if it doesn't work out?"_

" _But if it's meant to fail, then isn't it better to just spare yourself the messy breakup?" She retorted. "What if it ends up being a huge mistake?"_

" _What if it doesn't? What if it ends up being something great?" Nathan said with a genuine smile._

 _Peyton swallowed hard._

 _Because honestly she hadn't allowed herself to think that._

 _She just couldn't._

* * *

 **New York City – December 2014**

"Hey you." Brooke smiled brightly, her dimples on full display. "Come on in." She motioned for Lucas to enter her office, closing the door behind him once he crossed into the room. "I'm so glad you called to do lunch. We haven't done that in forever." She mused. "Sorry we couldn't go out for lunch, things are just kind crazy around here right before the holidays so I really can't be out of the office for long." She explained.

Lucas waved her off. "I don't mind. Thanks for taking the time to see me though."

"Of course. I ordered some food for us, should be here soon. Please have a seat, make yourself comfortable."

Lucas took a seat, placing the bag over his shoulder on the floor before removing his winter coat. He watched Brooke flawlessly type into her phone as she moved across the room to join him.

"What?" The brunette questioned once she had set her phone aside, noticing that he was looking at her with a wide smile.

Lucas chuckled as he continued to take in the sight of her. "It's just that you look…well, pregnant." He teased. It hadn't been that long since he last saw Brooke and she hadn't really been showing yet, but now the baby bump under her grey blouse was unmistakable.

Brooke laughed, her hand immediately going to her stomach. "I know right? This week I just sort of popped out of nowhere." She explained. "Before you know it I'll be all sausage fingers and toes trying to rolling myself down the hall. I'm gonna get so gross."

"Nonsense." Lucas shook his head dismissing the whole idea. "You're beautiful."

Brooke shyly shrugged. "Aw shucks Luke. Thanks." She lightly blushed at the compliment. "So anyway how was LA?!" She said excitedly.

Lucas reacted at once, his face falling into a rigid scowl, his displeasure evident.

"Yikes, that bad eh?" She commented while making a face.

Lucas was about to reply but a knock at the door interrupted the conversation. Brooke sent him an apologetic look before calling out to whoever was behind the door to enter.

"Hey Brooke sorry to interrupt, but those contracts you've been waiting on just came in." Millicent announced as she entered the room. "Oh hi Lucas!' She sent him a quick wave. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Hey Millie." Lucas returned the warm greeting.

"Thank you Millie. You're a lifesaver." Brooke said as Millie handed her the contracts and her hazel eyes gave them a quick scan.

"No problem. You guys good here, do you need anything else?" Millie asked.

Brooke shook her head. "Nope, but when the food gets here just send it right in."

"Sounds good." Millie nodded. "It's good seeing you Lucas. I know Peyton doesn't remember me right now but please tell her I said hi."

"I will. It's good seeing you too."

"Bye." Millie said before quietly slipping out of the room.

"What's Millie doing here?" Lucas asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. Millie lived and worked mostly in Tree Hill for the company, even after Brooke had relocated back to New York a few years ago.

Brooke wore a sad smile "Oh man right you've been away. Mouth and Millie broke up."

Lucas' eyes widened in surprise. "What? That's crazy I just talked to him yesterday. He didn't mention it."

"I think they're both still kind of processing. I only vaguely know what happened. Millie's been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. She requested to work up here until she figures out what she's gonna do next. I had to send someone from here down to Tree Hill to look after the store in the meantime."

"That sucks. What happened?"

"Something about a new hire at the station that's been coming on to Mouth, apparently we went to high school with her, Gigi something…"

"Gigi Silveri?"

Brooke quickly nodded. "Yea that's it. You knew her then?"

Lucas nodded. "She was two grades below us, Mouth dated her our senior year."

"She's an ex-girlfriend?!" Brooke exclaimed at this new piece of gossip. "Well this is an interesting development."

"So wait are you saying that Mouth cheated?" Lucas said incredulously, not believing it for a second. This was Mouth after all.

Brooke shrugged. "I have no idea. All I know is that some girl at work as been causing trouble between Millie and Mouth, but something big must have happened for Millie to call off the wedding."

"Jesus." Lucas muttered before blowing out a breath.

"I know." Brooke said raising both eyebrows.

"Apparently no one's staying together these days…" Lucas grumbled bitterly.

"AND now you're scaring me." Brooke said concerned. "What the hell happened out there?"

"Haven't you talked to Peyton?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, not since you guys left. I've texted and called a few times, but I haven't heard back. I just assumed since things were going so well that you two were far too busy having sexy times behind closed doors." She winked. "Seriously though what happened?"

"We had this huge fight our last night there."

"About?"

Lucas' eyes narrowed sending the brunette a knowing look. "What do you think?"

Brooke sighed. "Jake." She had hoped to be wrong.

"Bingo."

The brunette huffed. "I told her that this whole talking to Jake business was not going to end well. I begged her not to do it."

"Actually he didn't even come to the reunion. She never spoke to him." Lucas revealed.

"Wait, what?" Her hazel eyes looked over at him in confusion. "I don't understand then."

"She heard Jake was married and freaked out about it. It just kind of escalated from there."

Brooke cringed. "So that's why she's not returning my calls." She muttered.

"Actually I kind of played a part in that. I kind of told her that you told me that she had talked to you about Jake a couple of times."

"Lucas!" Brooke scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry. I was mad and it just sort of slipped out."

Brooke put up a hand to stop him. "Forget it, it's fine. I'm the one who sort of betrayed best friend confidentiality by telling you in the first place." Brooke hadn't given Lucas any details over anything her and Peyton had discussed regarding Jake, but she had clued him in that the conversation had taken place. "I just…I dunno it just didn't feel right you not knowing…I was worried about you two in the beginning. I was afraid that she wouldn't give you a real shot." She sighed. "Was it that bad?"

Lucas gave a firm nod. "It was pretty bad. I can barely look at her right now." He admitted. "She wants to talk it out, but I just…I just can't handle it right now Brooke."

"This is all my fault. I should have told her he was married." She groaned.

"Why didn't you? That's the only thing I can't understand. She kept accusing me of keeping it from her, but honestly I thought you had already told her. I mean I guess I thought it was kind of odd that Peyton was so eager to talk to Jake considering Nicki would be there and all that history…but I just didn't put two and two together."

"It wasn't on purpose!" Brooke said quickly while lifting a finger. "I learned my lesson from the whole Julian fiasco on Thanksgiving."

"So what happened then?"

"Okay I guess since Peyton's already mad at me, it's not gonna be worse if I tell you a little about what we talked about." Brooke shrugged. "Okay, so she asked me why they broke up and I told her the whole story. The semester abroad and well, everything. And when I told her about Nicki she got kind of pissed and I think just hearing all about it was kind of heavy enough, so I decided to put it off for another time. I was planning on telling her before you guys left, but then she started to get so excited about you, and was talking less about Jake, so I kept putting it off because I wanted you two to become close again. Then I just kind of forgot…I blame the pregnancy. I'm forgetting everything these days. I mean she can't be that mad? It has to be bad karma to be mad at a pregnant woman right? Yea let's just go with that." She continued to ramble off. Lucas couldn't help but release a laugh as he shook his head.

"It just infuriates me that she's still thinking about him. It doesn't matter whether or not she knew beforehand that Jake's married. She shouldn't have cared at all. One minute she's telling me that she wants me, and now it's like a switched flipped and I don't mean shit to her."

Her heart broke for him. Lucas looked devastated. "You don't really believe that do you? I sure don't." Of course Peyton cared for him. "Are you guys talking at all?" Brooke asked looking hopeful.

Lucas shook his head. "Not really. I mean she wants to. She's tried and she's apologized over the fight a bunch of times, but…I." Lucas sighed loudly. "God Brooke…I feel like I've already lost her. I don't know how this is going to work out unless she gets her memories back."

"Lucas don't talk like that!" The brunette scolded. "This is Peyton we're talking about. Whether she remembers or not, you two are meant to be."

Lucas shook his head in doubt. "She told me she doesn't love me." He informed Brooke, his voice uneasy as he spoke. "I accused her of still loving Jake, and then she looked me right in the eyes and told me that with a straight face."

Brooke released an audible gasp. "Peyton would never say something like that." She quickly argued.

"Maybe before, but she's different now." Lucas said sadly.

"People say things they don't mean all the time Luke, especially during heated arguments. I know she cares about you. She told Haley and me that you make her happy. You guys can make each other happy again. You have to talk to her." Brooke pushed on. "You can't just give up and I'm sure she feels absolutely terrible about everything."

"Is it wrong to admit that I kind of don't care?" The blond admitted. "She clearly has little regard for my feelings, so why should I care about hers?"

Brooke's eyes widened. "You did NOT just say that."

"You weren't there that night Brooke…and I'm just…I'm fed up. I'm doubting if she wants to be with me because it's what she actually wants, or maybe I'm just the fallback option because Jake isn't around and unavailable. She still cares about him even though she knows she shouldn't."

"You need to go talk to her." Brooke urged. "She's just lost that's all, and you love her more than anything."

"What if that's not enough anymore?"

"Well then you make damn sure that it is."

"Brooke it's not that simple –" Lucas began to protest but she cut him off.

"You're upset. I get that. I understand that. And you have every right to be feeling the way you do Lucas. I'm not arguing that. But don't sit here and lie to us both by pretending that you're just gonna walk away from this. You would never willingly just walk away from this. Not from her. So do what you need to do to be able to forgive her, be it on your own terms, whatever, I don't care. Just fix it because we both know you're not just gonna let her go without a fight."

Brooke stood up.

"And now while you mull over everything I've just said, and realize I'm obviously right because well duh. I am going to go check on the status of our lunch." She sent Lucas a quick wink and lightly patted his shoulder before turning on her heels and disappearing out of the room.

* * *

Next Up: Unexpected complications will arise.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts over this latest chapter.

Until next time.


	24. Got 'Til It's Gone

Reviews

 **Chilarie07** – Lol, yea I was getting a little bored with the last cover image so I decided to change it. Definitely like this one much better, though I wouldn't be surprised if I change it again! As for the 'unexpected complications' you'll just have to keep reading to see!

 **Tpassions** – Peyton is without doubt scared of losing Lucas because she knows she really messed up this time. Seeing him hurting and that she's the cause behind it is a hard pill for her to swallow. And yes we're still going to Tree Hill for the holidays, timeline wise it's still early in December right now. We have a few chapters before Tree Hill, since we just got back from LA I want to keep the next few chapters in NYC. Good luck on your recovery!

 **Mia** – Yes they do need each other, it's just a shame that Peyton (both in the past  & present) has been a little late to the party in realizing that, but at least she did get there! Better than nothing, right?!

 **Katherine** – Those two will find their way back to each other, I promise! As for Peyton getting pregnant, if the time is right it could happen, but I definitely don't plan on throwing it in there randomly. Thanks so much for your kind words, extremely grateful for your support on this fic.

 **LeytonFan4Eva** – Guess you'll have to read on to see if any of your predictions happen!

 **Leyte** – Yea things really do have to be on Lucas' terms when it comes to things working out between Leyton. The ball's in his court and he'll forgive her when he's ready.

 **Happyvalley74** – Thank you for supporting this fic! It's so exciting to hear that it's one of your favorites.

 **prankgurl** – lol well I hope your heart survived the past few days!

 **thibbs65** – Yea I missed writing those three, so flashbacks work perfectly for me to include them more often in the story.

 **jordana60** – Yea even though he loves her, Lucas is nowhere near ready to forgive Peyton right now. It's gonna take time. I actually never really hated Brucas (though that probably has more to do with the fact that I like the Brooke character and I love Sophia Bush even more, she is just awesome!), but they are NO Leyton and I was a Leyton fan from the very first episode. I did however love the Brucas friendship in season 5 and wished it had been more like that in the previous seasons, which is why I want them to have that same friendship in this fic.

 **RoseK124** – Yup that was an intense apology that she delivered in the last chapter and it's basically everything Lucas has been dying to hear from Peyton, but it came a little too late. But don't worry Lucas would never truly give up on his wife, that's the love of his life! He's struggling right now to move forward, but it will happen.

 **JuJuB7** – Awesome that you're enjoying this story! Thanks for reviewing.

 **Mufc87** – It's a shame that possibly losing Lucas is what it took for Peyton to truly realize what she'd be missing, but unfortunately that's how life goes sometimes, not to mention that it's such a Peyton thing to do. On the show she usually realizes things a little too late and always takes it pretty hard.

 **Guest** – Yea I think most of us are on Luke's side with this one. He's having a hard time dealing and it's understandable. Glad you loved seeing the core five in this last chapter. We'll be off to Tree Hill in a few chapters so their appearances will be a little more frequent.

 **Guest** – Having Lucas talk things out with Brooke I believe does help a little. Deep down he already knew he wasn't really going to give up on Peyton. He just needs time to heal now and reach a place where he can eventually start to forgive her. It won't be overnight.

 **Guest** – Here's your next update! Thanks for reading!

 **Guest** – Hope this update was fast enough for you!

 **Guest** – Didn't delay, here you go!

 **Guest** – I have lots of ideas planned for this storyline as we move forward! Can't wait for you and everyone else to read it!

 **Guest** – I won't give anything away here, so you'll just have to keep reading to see what those complications are!

* * *

Once again I'm super touched and astonished by all the amazing support this fic has received. I mean 20 reviews for the last chapter alone?! Wow. Love you guys!

Chapter Track: 'Got 'Til It's Gone' by Janet Jackson

* * *

Chapter 24: Got 'Til It's Gone

After her lunch with Lucas the day before, Brooke decided it was time to have a little chat with her best friend. So after giving Victoria the slip at work, Brooke hopped in a cab making her way over towards Peyton's apartment uptown.

"Alright let's get this over with." Brooke announced walking into the apartment after Peyton had let her in. "Have at it, let me hear it." The first order of business was to makeup with the blonde.

"What are you talking about?" Peyton said in a groggy voice as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"You're mad at me." Brooke pointed out. "So go ahead already and bitch me out so we can move on." She whipped around to look at Peyton. "Did you just get out of bed?" She questioned noticing her disheveled appearance. "It's 3:30 in the afternoon." Brooke frowned. "You look terrible." She said bluntly. Peyton was all paled face and slightly sticky with sweat.

"I haven't been feeling well." Peyton admitted. She had spent most of the night clutching the toilet bowl while emptying out the contents of her stomach, and this morning she woke up feeling extremely fatigued that getting out of bed wasn't an option. She had slept for most of the day. And now that pesky migraine had returned.

"What do you have?"

Peyton shrugged. "Must be a stomach bug or something. I can hardly keep anything down."

Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Are you pregnant?!" She squealed.

Peyton sighed heavily as she dropped her head. Leave it to Brooke to always jump to conclusions. "I'm not pregnant. Luke and I haven't had sex yet."

"You do realize that you two have had sex before right?" Brooke teased. "As in before your accident. Omg you could be like two months pregnant!" Brooke exclaimed slightly jumping in her heels.

"I'm not pregnant Brooke." Peyton hissed. "I'm pretty sure that's something the doctors would have seen in my blood tests while I was in the hospital. Also I've still been getting my period."

Brooke frowned. "Damn."

"Well don't sound too disappointed." She responded, her tone dripping in sarcasm.

"Just think how fun it would have been to be preggers together!" Brooke replied, revealing the real reason behind her disappointment.

Peyton rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Brooke I'm sorry I gotta lay down. I'm really not feeling well." She said weakly. The blonde was starting to get dizzy from standing.

"C'mon." Brooke looped an arm around Peyton's and guided her into bed. The brunette then disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a warm cup of tea, some crackers, and a cold washcloth.

"Thanks." Peyton said as she watched Brooke set the tea and crackers on the night stand.

"Where's Lucas?" Brooke wondered as she placed the damp washcloth over Peyton's forehead in an effort to cool her down.

Peyton huffed. "Your guess is as good as mine. He hates me."

The brunette quickly shook her head. "He doesn't."

"I screwed it all up Brooke."

"You two will work it out."

"He told you what happened?"

Brooke nodded.

Peyton sighed.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about Jake." Brooke said quietly. "You two would have never fought."

Peyton shook her head. "I only have myself to blame." She spoke glumly.

"You're not upset with me?" Brooke said in surprise.

Peyton shook her head.

"Not even for telling Luke that we talked about Jake?"

Peyton scowled in thought. Okay so she sure hadn't been pleased about that little act of duplicity, but she was over it. Other than winning Lucas' favor, everything else right now mattered very little. The blonde shook her head once more. "I'm honestly too tired to be mad." She joked. "And anyway being mad at you isn't going to make me feel any better, and truthfully I kind of really need my best friend right now."

Brooke sat on the bed and placed her hand over Peyton's. "Well it's a good thing she's right here then." Brooke squeezed her hand.

Peyton released a heavy sigh and rested her head on Brooke's shoulder. "I don't know how to fix this." Silent tears began to fall down Peyton's face.

"Tell him how you really feel."

"I already did." She cried. "He doesn't care."

"Keep trying. He just needs time." Brooke advised. "You at least owe him that much. He'll come around eventually, you'll see."

Peyton silently nodded as she began to fiddle nervously with her hands. "Will…can you talk to him for me?" She asked her voice slightly hopeful yet apprehensive. "He might listen to you." She reasoned.

"I can't fix this mess for you sweetie." Brooke affectionately put an arm around the blonde pulling her close. "I've already told him not to give up on you, but that's pretty much all I can do. The rest is up to you two."

"I need him Brooke." The despair in the blonde's voice was unmistakable.

"And he needs you." Brooke replied. "But he also needs time Peyton. He'll forgive you when he's good and ready."

Peyton nodded wiping the tears away from her cheeks. She lifted her head off Brooke's shoulder. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she knew Brooke was right. She had to be patient. She had no choice but to.

"Do you love him?" Brooke questioned. She had to ask.

Peyton sighed and turned to look at her friend with teary eyes. "I think I really could." She answered honestly.

Brooke smiled. "Good. I know you guys will be okay then."

"You think?"

Brooke nodded. "Positive."

* * *

Brooke took care of Peyton for a couple of hours before she had to leave. Millie had called in a SOS claiming that Victoria had gone on a rampage after her little disappearing act, and so Brooke had little choice but to return to work to put out that fire.

After Brooke had left Peyton was starting to feel a little better, physically speaking of course. Some of her strength had returned and she decided that getting some fresh air wouldn't be the worst thing. So she got dressed and headed out of the apartment. The sun had already set and Peyton aimlessly walked down the street, welcoming the bitter cold air against her overheated skin. Lucas would probably be getting home soon from wherever it was he was spending his time these days. She wanted to see him so badly and briefly thought about retreating home, but then remembered how Brooke had mentioned that Lucas needed more time. So the blonde decided to give her husband the apartment to himself this evening so he could have some space.

She went to that little Mexican cantina near their apartment. The one where Lucas had taken her to eat the very first day she'd come home from the hospital. She sat up at the bar ordering dinner and a frozen margarita to accompany her meal.

As she waited for her food, the bartender dropped a bowl of chips and salsa for her to munch on. "Hey I know you."

Peyton was busying herself by stirring her frozen drink around with a straw. "Excuse me?" She looked up from her drink at the bartender. She was leaning over the bar, carefully inspecting Peyton.

"I know you from somewhere." The bartender repeated, a woman with long blonde hair that was currently piled on top of her head into a messy bun.

Peyton frowned. It was possible that she knew this woman before her accident. "Sorry." She said apologetically while shrugging her shoulders having no clue who the pretty blonde was.

"You must just come here alot then." The bartender concluded.

Peyton shrugged.

The bartender mimicked the gesture and smiled before tending to another customer.

Ten minutes later she returned with Peyton's food, sliding it in front of her. "I know who you are now." She spoke after a short pause.

"What?" Peyton said with a slight chuckle. It didn't seem like she was giving up on solving this mystery.

The bartender's face turned serious for a moment. "You're that girl. The one who got hit by that car a few blocks down. I remember now. Your face just looked so familiar."

Slightly stunned, Peyton raised an eyebrow at the girl. "How do you know that?" She asked a little wary.

The bartender's face softened. "I was there. I held your hand and talked to you. I was trying to keep you awake until the ambulance arrived." The girl explained. "I'm Caroline." She extended her hand out.

"Peyton." She replied taking Caroline's hand and shaking it. "I…I didn't know that…that someone was there. You saw the whole thing?"

"Not exactly, I was across the street and had my back turned at the time. I just heard the impact, by the time I turned around you were already on the ground. I ran over to help. My dad was an EMT so I know the basics. I just tried to keep you comfortable, make sure you didn't move, apply pressure, stuff like that."

"Wow." Peyton swallowed hard. "I don't know what to say…wow. Thank you. You most likely saved my life."

Caroline shook her head. "Nah, I'm glad I could just help. The doctors saved your life, not me." She smiled. "I'm really glad to see your okay though. I didn't know if you would…"The woman paused.

"Make it?" Peyton finished for her.

Caroline sheepishly nodded. "There was a lot of blood. I was soaked in it by the time the ambulance arrived. I heard in the news that the driver died. I'm glad that wasn't the case for you though."

Peyton nodded in gratitude. In truth she hadn't really thought much about the man who had struck her with his car. She didn't even know his name or if he had a family or anything really. She didn't even know what the man looked like. No one really seemed to bring it up, so she hadn't either.

"You live around here then?"

Peyton nodded again. "Yea I live in the building right where I got hit. I was on my way home at the time."

"Damn." Caroline blew out a breath.

"What about you?"

"Yea I live a few blocks west over on Amsterdam, not too far."

"Cool."

"So what's got you so down?"

Peyton laughed. "God is it that obvious?"

"Kind of hard not to notice that black cloud looming over you." Caroline teased. "Plus I'm a bartender. I'm kind of a magnet for people wanting to vent their problems. I'm practically a certified therapist at this point."

Peyton let out another laugh. "That must get annoying, not to mention depressing after awhile." She mused.

Caroline shrugged. "It keeps the job interesting."

"You ever blurt out something you wish you could take back more than anything?"

"Girl, find me someone who hasn't."

Peyton gave a weak smile. "I'm struggling to find a way to fix it."

"Why don't you just ask him?" Caroline said like it was the most obvious solution in the world.

"How'd you know it's a guy?"

"I told you, I've been at this for awhile. I've heard it all. That and the rings on your necklace are kind of a dead giveaway that you're married." Caroline said pointedly and then winked.

Peyton raised a hand letting her fingers play with the rings that hung off her necklace.

"But really though have you just asked him? Asked him what he wants from you? How you can fix it?"

"I can't just do that." Peyton said dismissively.

"Well how else will you know what to do if you don't know exactly what he wants from you? Unless you can read minds that is."

Peyton paused. "I guess I never really thought about it like that…I'm just trying to give him his space for now. He's not entirely thrilled with me at the moment and I can't exactly blame him."

"Well sitting here at the bar talking to some stranger isn't going to get you what you want either." Caroline teased as she pulled out a cutting board and went to work slicing limes.

"I guess not." Peyton agreed.

"So how long have you been married?"

Peyton stopped to think and pretty soon began to laugh hysterically at the absurdly of it all.

"What?" Caroline asked not getting what was so funny.

"I have no idea." Peyton replied while still laughing. "I don't know when exactly we got married."

Caroline gave her a weird look. "Okay, so you've barely touched your margarita so I know you're not drunk…"

Peyton shook her head. "No I'm not drunk. I just meant that I can't remember." The blonde began to explain. "A nice little parting-gift from my accident." She said while giving the top of her head a quick tap.

Caroline's eyes doubled in size. "You're fucking with me?"

"Nope." Peyton said making sure to pop the p. "I've lost a few years, and that includes when I actually met and married my husband."

Caroline let out a whistle. "Wow and here I thought my love life was complicated. Your life sounds something straight-out of a soap opera."

"Tell me about it." Peyton muttered in agreement.

"Man your poor husband." Caroline mused. "I mean not that it doesn't suck for you too obviously." She quickly backtracked.

"It hasn't been easy." Peyton acknowledged. She almost couldn't believe how easy it was for her to be talking about all of this to a girl she'd just met. It was kind of a relief to be able to talk to someone who didn't know her and couldn't really judge her based on prior knowledge. "I mean he was essentially a stranger at first..."

"I bet." Caroline said. "But from the sound of it, doesn't seem like you feel that way anymore."

"I don't. He's pretty awesome actually." Peyton smiled as she thought about Lucas. "And then I went ahead and blew it with my dumbass insecurities. It's kind of a thing I do."

Caroline chuckled. "Hang in there girl, you'll figure it out." The blonde stored away her fresh cut limes and put away the cutting board.

"Thanks."

Peyton ended up staying longer at the cantina then she expected. Her and Caroline had hit it off pretty well, chatting non-stop for most of the evening. They ended up exchanging numbers, making promises to hang out again.

When she returned home she found Lucas camped out on the couch playing a video game. "Hi." She greeted him softly.

Lucas paused the game looking over at the doorway where Peyton stood idly. "Hey."

"How was your day?" Peyton spoke trying to make some conversation.

"It was fine. Yours?" He politely replied.

Peyton shrugged. "Okay."

A long awkward silence soon followed after that.

"Well I'm gonna head to bed. I'm kind of tired." Peyton announced. "Have a good night."

"Okay."

She watched Lucas return to his game without another word and she left him there, retreating to her room and got ready for bed.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2009**_

" _You know this would all go much faster if you two would actually lend a hand." Chase grumbled out the complaint as he carried a box inside the house from Peyton's car._

" _Oh hunny but you so got this." Brooke replied from her spot on the couch as she sipped on a glass of red wine. "I would just be in the way really." She waved him off._

 _Chase rolled his eyes._

" _I'll help. They are my boxes after all." Peyton said. She was also sitting on the couch alongside Brooke. She had stopped by the house to greet Brooke and had brought along a few boxes, though she wasn't officially moving in with the rest of her things until the weekend._

" _It's fine. I've got it." Chase replied as he carried the box and disappeared into what would be Peyton's room._

" _Thank you hunny!" Brooke sweetly called out behind her. "When you're done I've got your favorite beer in the fridge waiting!"_

" _Why can't I have one now?"_

" _Because it's a good incentive for you to work quickly." Brooke reasoned._

" _This is abuse. We're breaking up." He announced dramatically._

" _Good luck with that you jerk!" Brooke teased out before turning back to her friend._

 _Peyton chuckled. "You guys are too cute." She commented._

" _Speaking of too cute…" Brooke playfully nudged Peyton with her foot. "Where's your tall, blond and very yummy piece of man candy?"_

" _I heard that!" Chase called from the back._

" _Get back to work!" Brooke called back. "Anyway…" She began, ignoring her boyfriend. "I thought he'd be with you to bring in your stuff." She grabbed the open bottle of wine off the coffee table, refilling their glasses._

 _Peyton took a sip of her wine. "Actually that's over."_

" _What!" Brooke exclaimed choking on her drink. "Since when?! I just spoke to him yesterday!"_

 _The blonde's emerald eyes widened. "You did what?!"_

" _I ran into him on main street and introduced myself." Brooke replied with a shoulder shrug._

" _Why would you do that?!" Peyton said incredulously._

 _The brunette rolled her eyes. "Oh please, in what universe did you actually think I wouldn't go on and say hi?"_

" _The one in where I asked you not to!"_

" _I think we both know me better than that P. Sawyer. I'm far too nosey to resist temptation."_

" _Who's tempting you now?" Chase called out suspiciously._

" _Peyton's very hot and sexy new boyfriend!" Brooke chirped back. "Or should I say ex?" She corrected. "When did this happen?"_

" _Last week, and he was NEVER my boyfriend."_

" _Last week!" Brooke cried out. "No wonder he was looking at me all weird when I asked him when he was free to help us move around furniture, and by the way that tutor girl…she's kind of a bitch."_

" _Well she did marry Nathan." Peyton quipped making Brooke giggle. "But actually I wouldn't know, I never saw her when Luke and I were together. We kind of just kept to ourselves, but anyway it's over. It's better this way." The blonde spoke as her fingers played with the base of her wine glass._

 _Brooke's hazel eyes narrowed down suspiciously. "What did you do?" She spoke in an accusing tone._

" _Why do you assume it was something I did?" She spoke defensively._

" _You better spill before I have Chase toss your things out on the curb blondie."_

" _I'm not carrying these boxes back outside." Chase firmly stated. He was still exhausted from helping Brooke set up the house yesterday after the movers had left._

 _Brooke huffed. "Wow way to back up your girlfriend! I changed my mind you can't have any beer."_

" _Oh you mean this beer." Chase appeared with that said six pack in his hands. He took one of the beers, twisting it open before smugly taking a long sip in front of his girlfriend._

" _How did you…I didn't even hear you…" Brooke pouted. He must have sneaked behind the kitchen while she had her back turned._

" _I'm a ninja babe." He shifted closer placing a kiss on the top of Brooke's head. "I've gotta head to work. See you later!" He triumphantly held up the pack of beer as he walked out of the house._

 _Peyton was laughing the entire time._

" _I'm dating a child." Brooke drawled out unamused with his antics. "He's lucky he's cute. Anyway what happened? Spare no detail." She demanded._

 _Peyton sighed and proceeded to tell Brooke everything that had occurred last week._

" _You're crazy." Brooke said after Peyton had finished her story. "This is stupid, go talk to him. You like this boy Peyton!"_

 _Peyton shook her head. "I doubt he wants to see me, let alone talk to me. I haven't heard from him all week."_

" _Well did it ever occur to you that maybe you should be the one reaching out instead? I mean it's pretty much your fault it ended." Brooke said pointedly._

 _Peyton couldn't argue with that. Her foul mood last week had ended up pushing Lucas away. "I can't…I just can't. You should have seen the look on his face Brooke. He looked so hurt and confused…and he probably thinks I'm crazy now too. There's no going back." Peyton said decisively. "I'm not staying in Tree Hill forever anyway, so it's pointless."_

" _Just sounds like you're scared to me." Brooke retorted. "This is the first guy you've really liked since Jake."_

" _I've dated tons of guys since Jake." Peyton defended._

" _Not like this one." Brooke replied while sending her a knowing look. "This one is different."_

 _Peyton sighed. "He is different." She ultimately conceded because it was true, Lucas was different. He wasn't like any other boy she had ever dated and this thing they had was different as well. Both of her previous relationships had developed over time. They had been a slow burn, a steady build up of feelings over time._

 _With Nathan, they had known each other since they were kids, always constantly around each other since they had the same group of friends. Then some time during the middle of 8_ _th_ _grade, there was a shift in their friendship and she began to see him as something other than a friend, as did he. And by the end of the summer right as they were starting their freshman year of high school they innocently fell into this relationship, her first real boyfriend. And for the first year it had been really good, and then sophomore year hit and Nathan made varsity on the basketball team. He was crowned the king of school and attached to that title came a newly developed arrogant personality that Peyton did not care for. Yet she stayed with him because she loved him at the time, but by junior year it became unbearable to be around him. They fought constantly and midway through the first semester they broke up for good._

 _Getting together with Jake had been an unexpected thing. Like Nathan, she'd known Jake since they were kids, but they had never been particularly close. Jake was more of a floater and had friends in different circles, so he didn't always hang out with Peyton and her friends. Jake had never been under her radar as a potential boyfriend, but then a few weeks after she and Nathan had broken up, he approached her after a Ravens' game just before he was heading to the locker rooms to shower. He casually greeted her, complimenting her appearance and thanking her for cheering the team on that evening. Brooke standing only a couple of feet away with the rest of the Ravens cheerleaders smirked with raised eyebrows the entire time as Jake made small talk with the blonde. At first Peyton thought nothing of it, knowing well that Jake had always been a nice, sweet boy, but then he starting approaching her more and more after game nights and would catch her in the halls during the day, always walking her to the classes they shared. A couple of weeks later he was asking her to hang out after basketball practice and also taking her off campus for lunch. They had formed a nice little comfortable friendship and Peyton found herself slowly falling for this boy, with his sweet words, attentiveness and thoughtful gestures – something she sure hadn't seen from Nathan since their freshman year._

 _Things with Lucas however had been anything but slow and steady. He had come in fast and had hit her hard, completely knocking her off her feet. It wasn't a slow burn, but this fiery burn that had ignited from the very beginning. She didn't mind the passionate need she had to be around him all the time, in fact she welcomed it, and when they were apart her thoughts were consumed by him. She needed him, she wanted him so badly all the time – it really wasn't normal, and so out of character for her. She could never keep her hands off him for long – and neither could he – and she most certainly didn't mind that either. He was sexy, and funny, and intelligent. He understood her, he was open with her, while at the same time never pushing her further than she was willing to go – after all she still had plenty of abandonment issues, but she trusted him. Lucas made her feel safe and secure. Being with him felt incredibly natural because they fit so well together and had this mutual respect and understanding of each other._

 _And like a fool she had messed it up._

" _I blew it Brooke, Lucas probably wants nothing to do with me now."_

" _How bout you let Lucas decide what he wants Peyton." Brooke said wisely._

 _Peyton tugged at her lower lip with her teeth. "You really think I should take the risk?" She spoke, her voice sounding low and slightly hopeless._

" _Did he make you happy?"_

" _Yes." The blonde didn't hesitant in her reply._

" _Are you happier now without him?"_

 _Peyton quickly shook her head._

" _Then I think you have your answer Peyton. You're over Jake. You've been over him for months now and I know this whole marriage thing kind of blindsided all of us, but don't use it as an excuse to self-sabotage your own happiness P."_

 _Peyton sighed sadly. Brooke was right._

" _You like this guy. I mean you really like this guy. I can tell." Brooke said softly. "Go talk to him." She urged._

" _You're right." Peyton said. She wanted to give this thing with Lucas another try – if he'd let her that is. "I guess I could give him a call tomorrow." The blonde decided. "I'll talk to him."_

 _Brooke frowned not at all satisfied with Peyton's plans. "Um no, I mean like get your nonexistent ass off of my couch and go talk to him now. I want a happy Peyton that's getting laid on the regular when she moves in – not a moody celibate bitch. I have no use for her." She said dismissively._

 _Peyton's jaw dropped._

" _Honesty means caring Peyton." Brooke added innocently. "Now shoo and go fix the mess you made." The brunette waved her off and pointed towards the door. "Get the hell out of my house."_

 _Peyton frowned. "I thought this was our house?"_

" _You haven't moved in yet bitch." Brooke quipped with an attitude. "Now stop stalling and go see him."_

" _Fine." Peyton grumbled as she downed the rest of her wine and stood up off the couch. She grabbed her phone to text Lucas when she caught sight of the date. "Shit, today's Thursday?"_

" _Yea so?"_

" _I've gotta run to that damn bakery before it closes!" Peyton exclaimed as she grabbed her bag off the floor and slipped into her sandals._

" _Huh?"_

" _I'll explain later. Bye!" The blonde quickly ran out the door, dashing towards her car._

* * *

 **New York City – December 2014**

Her eyelids fluttered open, her green eyes looking up at darkness and nothing more. Peyton lazily extended her arm reaching out for her phone where it sat beside her on the mattress. She brought the phone up to her face, the light of the screen blinding her momentarily as she checked the time.

 _11:15 PM_

She had only been asleep for about 45 minutes.

The dull pain of her migraine returning was what had stirred her from her slumber. She tossed the phone aside and then proceeded to use her hands to push herself up to sit. That proved to be a fatal mistake as a wave of nausea instantly took over her body the second she righted herself up on the bed. Her right hand shot out immediately clamping over her mouth as she frantically tried to pull herself free from underneath the covers with the other. She clumsily removed herself from the bed and ran straight to the bathroom, sliding on the floor as she reached the toilet. In the dark her hands fumbled around practically ripping open the toilet seat and its lid before sticking her head in. Her body broke out into a cold sweat as every last bit her dinner violently pushed its way up her throat expelling itself from her stomach. And even when there was no food left, Peyton's body continued to go through the motions, dry heaving, causing her tiny frame to shake uncontrollably, while her throat continued to burn from the mix of vomit and bile that had escaped her mouth. It felt like an eternity had passed before she was finally able to lift her head back up. Her body felt weak, but Peyton managed to use her hands and feet to push herself back into the closest wall.

She rested her head against the wall with closed eyes as she tried to get her breathing to return to normal. She wiped the sweat of her forehead with the back of her hand and with that same hand she reached up against the wall fumbling for the light switch. She flicked the switch on after finding it, the light from above overpowering her immediately. She blinked her eyes furiously, waiting for them to adjust to the light, but it was futile, her eyes being far too sensitive to the brightness and she turned off the bathroom light at once. In the dark she gripped the bathroom tiles of the walls and managed to pull herself up. Her head felt heavy, the pounding in her head making her feel extremely dizzy, forcing her to hold on to the wall for support as she stumbled back into her room in the dark.

Peyton made it back towards the bed, this time flicking on the table side lamp, thankfully her eyes seemed to be able to handle the low light. She sat on the bed weakly clutching the sheets on either side of her as she leaned over and placed her head between her knees. She took in slow, long, deep breaths attempting to get her body under control. The pain in her head was far from dull right now. It was excruciating, it was piercing into her brain with such intensity. She was trying to be strong, but as the tears started to run down her face, her sobs of pain were not far behind. The pain was just too severe making her feel like her head was about to explode. This was no ordinary headache and popping aspirin clearly wasn't going to cut it.

Something was terribly wrong.

She needed help.

Peyton swallowed down her sobs and forced herself to stand up again. The room spun a little and she staggered to the wall immediately to hold herself up again.

"Lucas?" She called out for help once she made it out to the hall of their apartment. "Luke." She cried out again, but her voice was weak and cracked. Her throat still burned from the vomit, preventing her from raising her voice any higher. Peyton had little choice but to go to him, but she honestly didn't know if she'd be able to handle even a few steps down the hall.

She took a deep breath and descended down the hall, keeping her body close to the wall as she continued to support her weight against it. The dim light coming from under the door at the end of the hall let Peyton know that Lucas was in his home office. She took slowly measured steps as she walked, even then still managing to exhaust herself from the process. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally reached the door, her hand clumsily falling on the knob and turning it, while pushing the door open.

"Lucas." Peyton swallowed hard, her eyes falling shut still unable to handle the brightness of the room.

Upon hearing her pained voice, Lucas looked up from his desk. "Peyton what's wrong?" His voice filled with concerned as he noticed her teared stained faced and the color drained from her face.

"Lucas, I…I don't feel so good." She stammered weakly. She took a small step forward into the room, and then slowly made the move to take another, but then her knees buckled so suddenly, sending her crashing down, her knees slamming hard against the wooden floor of the apartment.

"Peyton!" Lucas jumped from his chair, running to her side.

She winced from the pain, her hands directly went over her knees as she tried to rub the pain away.

"Peyton." Lucas repeated her name. His hands gently gripped the sides of her arms urging her to look up at him. "Are you okay?" He asked, his face filled with worry.

Peyton quickly shook her head, tears sliding down her face once more. "Something's wrong." She choked out. "My head." She barely whispered.

Lucas reached out to brush the curls that were stuck to her damp forehead. "Christ you're burning up." He observed. "C'mon I'm taking you to the hospital." He spoke decisively. "Let me help you up sweetheart."

Peyton held on to Lucas' shoulders for support as he pulled her up with him. Another shot of pain hit her forcing her knees to give out again. Lucas was unprepared for the sudden jerk her body gave causing them both to tumble back down to the floor.

Feeling utterly hopeless and useless, she began to sob again.

"Hey, hey." Lucas took her face into his hands. "It's okay, it's okay. Save your energy for me okay? I'm gonna carry you instead." Peyton nodded. His hands left her face to scoop up her fragile body into his arms. Peyton leaned her head against his chest sighed. "Hold on okay? I'm gonna lift us up…" His words stopped short once he caught sight of her face and the red sticky substance that hadn't been there a mere second ago. "'Peyton your nose." He swallowed hard, the fear in his blue eyes evident.

Peyton gave him a look of confusion. She slowly brought a hand up to her nose, then pulling it away to look down at it. She spotted the blood that grazed her fingertips. "Lucas what's happening to me?" She cried out as more tears escaped her eyes. She was absolutely terrified now. She used the back of her hands to wipe away the blood that had trickled down to her upper lip. "Something's wrong with me." Her body shook violently, her fears starting to get the best of her. She could hear Lucas' voice trying to soothe her.

"Peyton, hey listen to me. Everything is going to be okay." He told her firmly, though on the inside he was just as terrified as she looked. "I need you to hang in there for me okay? I need you to be strong and brave. I'm going to get you to the hospital, I promise. Just relax and focus on my voice okay? Can you do that for me sweetheart?"

She blinked up at him, her vision slightly blurry. "It hurts Luke."

"Hang in there baby." Lucas cooed and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. She gave him a weak nod and he watched her settle back into his chest again, clutching the front of his white tee with her hands, no doubt staining it with the smeared blood on her hands. He noticed Peyton's face contort up again from the pain. She released a grunt in her discomfort with closed eyes and Lucas suddenly felt her go limp in his arms.

"Peyton? Peyton wake up." His heart dropped when she didn't respond. "Peyton I need you to wake up." He pulled out the arm that was locked beneath her knees, taking his hand to her shoulder and gently began shaking her. "Peyton are you okay?" She was still unresponsive to Lucas' calls and he was starting to panic. Taking his hand he began gently smacking the side of her face hoping that would work, but still nothing. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but he desperately needed her to wake up and he delivered a harder smack.

Still nothing.

He began shaking her body once more. "Babe please wake up I need to know that you're okay. PEYTON."

"Fuck." Lucas reached into his back pocket for his phone, when he felt nothing he twisted his head back to see it sitting on his desk. Having no choice, he gently placed Peyton on the floor, running over to his desk, snatching up his phone and then returning to her side immediately.

Lucas dialed 911 balancing his phone between his left shoulder and ear, while he gently lifted Peyton's head and placed it directly on his lap as he sat on his knees on the floor. "Hello? I need help. I need an ambulance please!" He swallowed the large lump in his throat. "My wife she…she just collapsed and she's not waking up." He began explaining to the 911 operator. "She suffered severe head trauma two months ago, she was in a car accident."

"Yes, she's breathing." Pressing three fingers to Peyton's neck, he checked on her pulse as the operator instructed him too. "I…I can't tell if her pulse is weak or not. I don't…I don't know how to do that..." He stuttered nervously. The operator began to instruct Lucas on how to check Peyton's pulse correctly when he snapped. "When will someone get here?!" He demanded. "She needs help now!" He was angry as the operator kept asking him an array of questions when what they really needed to be focusing on was getting Peyton to the hospital. "Can't you see that this is an emergency?!" Lucas looked down at Peyton, running a hand over her head to smooth out her blonde hair. "Tell them to hurry the hell up!" He barked irritably.

Lucas dropped the phone no longer interested in whatever the operator had to tell him. He leaned forward pressing his forehead against Peyton's and looping his fingers with hers. "Please wake up baby." He whispered to her.

* * *

Next up: Peyton's back at the hospital and we'll find out what's going on with her.

Until next time!


	25. Overwhelmingly Safe and Complicated

Reviews

 **Tpassions** – Glad you liked the conversations taking place in this chapter, especially between Peyton and Caroline the bartender! I've had her in mind from the very beginning – Caroline appears at the very beginning of chapter two trying to talk to Peyton right after her accident. And yes, Peyton isn't opposed to the idea of being in love with Lucas someday and that's a huge step for her to admit! As for me writing more Peyton stories, it's funny that you ask that! Initially I was just planning on writing out this fic and then taking a break from OTH because I've been wanting to take a stab at writing a TVD fic (it's my other favorite fandom next to OTH). A few weeks ago a random idea for a new story popped into my head and it's been mulling in my head since. At first I tried weaving it into the TVD universe, but for some reason my brain keeps visualizing it as a Leyton fic. So to answer your question…yes, I will be writing another Leyton centric story. It's so different from _Strangers_ and I'm really excited about it. I haven't written down a word yet, so I have no idea when I'll be unveiling this story, but it is coming. Also, thank you so much for your last comment. I figure you guys take the time to read my story and write a review, the least I could do is take a few minutes out of my day to reply. Thanks again!

 **Daydreamerdb** – Welcome new reader! It's always exciting to have someone new on board and reading their feedback. Thanks for being here! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on this story as it progresses.

 **thibbs65** – You'll have to keep reading to find out what will happen to Peyton!

 **S. Jamedra** \- Glad to hear I'm not the only one that's emotional invested in this story! I love writing these characters and it makes me feel so good to see that others are supporting them and their journey in this story – both during the highs and lows.

 **leyte** – Aww sorry I killed you with the cliffhanger, but sometimes I just gotta keep you guys on your toes!

 **Annie** – Yay for double reviews! Lol. As usual you're always hitting the nail on the head with your comments regarding Leyton's relationship. They're still figuring out how to be the best versions of themselves for the other person in this situation and it's gonna take a lot of work on both sides, but at least they're not giving up on being together. As for Brooke, she really is the best character to be the voice of reason within this story. I know that role tends to fall on Haley on the show and while I love me some Hales, she can get a little self-righteous at times, and I just feel like Brooke is more approachable and less judge-y with her friends – something that I think both Lucas and Peyton are more likely to gravitate towards when seeking advice. I'm not entirely sure how much of Brooke's backstory I'll be able to include without dragging the storyline, but I will do my best, same goes for Nathan and Haley. There's actually a lot of Brooke featured in the first half of this chapter – her and Julian. So hopefully you're a fan of Brulian!

 **jordana60** – I wouldn't say that Lucas has forgotten about his hurt and anger towards Peyton, but her getting sick most definitely opens the doors for reconciliation. He still loves her and obviously he wants her to stay safe and healthy, but her being sick doesn't magically make their issues disappear.

 **JuJuB7** – Awesome how amazing you found the last chapter to be! Thank you!

 **Rosek124** – On the edge of your seat?! That's what I like to hear! As I've mention about a million times already, I LOVE writing the flashbacks. They are so much fun!

 **Mufc87** – Thank you so much! It's not always easy keeping this story fresh and exciting, especially 25 chapters in, but I do my best and it really is wonderful to hear that people are still invested in this story and these characters. It means the world, so thank you.

 **LeytonFan4Eva** – Hope your butterflies have settled in! Keep reading to find out if Peyton's going to be okay!

 **Guest** – Ahh! I love it when I can surprise readers with something they didn't see coming! Thanks for reading and reviewing.

 **Guest** – Writing that last scene was tough, not to mention it took a lot longer to write (despite it being the shortest scene) than all the other scenes in that chapter because I wanted to get the emotion just right. I'm glad you were able to pick on that emotion and what Lucas was feeling. Peyton being in the hospital will obviously force a change in their relationship and I'm looking forward to everyone reading how that all plays out.

 **Guest –** I see you picked up on the tiny hints I dropped with Peyton not feeling well!

 **Guest** – Hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long! Tried to update as fast as I could! Also love the fact that this fic leaves you craving more. Thank you!

 **Guest** – Loving keeping you in suspense with the last chapter!

 **Guest** – While Luke may not be angry anymore with Peyton after her collapse, you'll have to keep reading to see if all is actually right as rain between these two.

* * *

Hey guys! I'm here with the latest update. Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on the last chapter, much appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 25: Overwhelmingly Safe And Complicated

Her hands slid up from the base of his neck and into his brown hair. She tugged his hair in appreciation when he deepened their kiss, his expert tongue stroking against hers in the best possible way. He retracted his lips allowing her to catch her breath and made his way down to her neck. She angled her head back giving him better access as he ran his tongue along the side of her neck.

She tugged at his short curls once more. "Could you hurry it up?" She barked out growing impatient. It wasn't that she didn't love it when he took his time to take care of her – she did – but the rising heat of desire currently taking place between her legs just wanted to get to the main event already.

She felt his lips still and he pulled back to look at her with a scowl on his face. "You seriously want me to rush through this?" He said incredulously and looking highly annoyed at his wife.

She shrugged slightly. "Don't be such a girl, we can do foreplay later."

The scowl on his face didn't waver.

"I can't help it. I'm really horny!" She defended.

"Yea I picked up on that when you practically manhandled me in my sleep."

The brunette cracked a smile. Now that Brooke was in her second trimester those pregnancy hormones had reawakened her sex drive, which had taken a bit of a hiatus the first three months of her pregnancy. Now it was like she couldn't control herself at all. She woke up in the middle of night aching to be touched and had not so gently woken up her husband for sex. "Are you really complaining here?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Of course not." Julian replied. He really wasn't. They rarely had sex during the first trimester because Brooke was so tired and feeling crappy most of the time, but now she wanted to all the time and Julian had zero complaints, even though Brooke tended to get a little demanding when she wasn't being satisfied fast enough. "Can you just trust that I know what I'm doing here?" He said as his hand landed on her hip.

"Hunny I'm well aware of what you are capable of and you're very good at what you do, but if you don't fuck me right now you're sleeping somewhere else." She squeezed her legs together in a futile attempt to alleviate the ache down there.

Julian scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're really killing the mood here Brooke."

"I'll make it up to you later." She gave Julian that sexy smirk she knew that he loved so much. "Please?"

Julian chuckled. "Get over here." Clearly he wasn't going to deny her. Julian rolled on to his back pulling Brooke on top of him. His large hands skimmed down the back of her t-shirt until they reached her backside, where he slipped them past her underwear and cupped her ass.

Brooke moaned in Julian's ear as he pushed her underwear past her hips and down her bare legs. She pressed herself harder against him, her lips seeking his as her hands went to work freeing him from his boxers.

Her phone rang from the nightstand.

Julian pulled his lips back. "You've got to be kidding me. I thought I told you to turn that thing off." He muttered out loud in frustration. "Who the fuck keeps calling you?" Her phone had been ringing on and off for the past fifteen minutes, but they had ignored it preferring to get lost in each other instead.

Brooke huffed. "I'm just gonna get it." She pulled back going for the phone.

Julian immediately pulled her back to him. "Leave it." He ordered not at all happy that her hands were no longer on him.

"They're just gonna keep calling." She said rolling her eyes as her cell continued to ring.

"I don't care."

"It could be work." She reasoned.

Julian scoffed. "The only employee you have insane enough to call you at this hour is Victoria and I'll be damned if I'm gonna start letting your mother get in the way of us having sex right now." It was no big secret that he and Victoria Davis had never gotten along. The woman hated him for absolutely no logical reason.

Brooke made a face. "Could you not mention my mother and sex in the same sentence?"

The phone stopped ringing.

"See?" Julian said with a grin. "They gave up." His hands went back to her ass and he pressed down on it hard. They both groaned loudly at the feel of their hips tightly pressed up against each other.

"Julian." Brooke's voice was low and husky as she begged her husband to keep going. She needed him so badly.

One of his hands traveled up to the side of Brooke's face and he pulled her into a kiss, while the other slipped down between them, positioning himself at her entrance.

Brooke's phone went off again just as Julian was about to push in.

"I'm gonna kill them." Julian announced angrily. "I'm gonna kill whoever it is at the end of that line."

"I'm getting the fucking phone." Brooke growled not at all happy with the interruption either.

Was she ever going to get laid tonight?

Julian grabbed his wife by the arm, yanking her back to his side. "Brooke Baker don't you dare answer that phone."

"I'm just gonna see who it is."

"Babe c'mon you've got me all worked up here." He slightly whined taking her hand and placing it over his hardness.

She smirked at his actions. "I'm just gonna see who it is. If it's no one important I won't answer and I'll turn off the phone." She promised.

"Brooke." Julian growled displeased when she pulled her hand away from his length.

"It'll be real quick." She rolled off him grabbing her cell, but Julian pulled her right back on top of him.

"You're not taking that call." He grabbed both of her hands, knocking the phone out of her hold and locking them in his grip.

"Julian." She chuckled slightly amused at his behavior. "It's just gonna keep ringing."

"Not if I break it it won't." He suggested.

Brooke gasped. "Don't you dare!" Her whole life was literally in that phone.

"You can afford a new one." He teased.

Brooke looked at down at her husband distrustfully. She yanked her hands away with all her might making a break for her phone that sat at the other end of the bed. She needed to save her precious phone from her husband's wrath. But Julian caught on quick and tugging the back of her shirt effortlessly, sending Brooke flying back into this chest with a loud thump. He was still holding on to the back of her shirt, but Brooke quickly ducked her head underneath the collar, pulling off the t-shirt before he had a chance to lock his arms around her waist.

"Julian!" Brooke shrieked as they both began to wrestle each other for the phone that was still ringing loudly. Julian laughed hysterically as he caught Brooke's hand before she could reach the phone again. He had flipped them over now and she was trapped beneath his weight.

"How come we don't wrestle naked more often?" Julian quipped, his brown eyes giving off a mischievous glow as he admired her naked form now that her shirt was out of the way.

"Get off of me!" The brunette insisted as she pressed the palms of her hands against his chest attempting to push him off.

"Nope." He said playfully. "Weren't you the one who demanded that I fuck you only five seconds ago?"

Brooke scowled. "Maybe I changed my mind. I can always just take care of business on my own." She teased while wiggling her fingers at him.

The phone stopped ringing.

"No you didn't." Julian said confidently. "And no you won't. You are not allowed to Brooke yourself this evening dear." He pressed his hips against hers again.

Brooke bit back a moan. "Well maybe if you hadn't taken so long – "

Julian cut her off. "Are we really going to bicker while we're in the middle of having sex?"

"Well technically we're not in the middle of anything since you keep taking your sweet ass time." She countered smirking up at him.

"Quiet woman." He grumbled right before attacking her mouth.

Brooke's phone resumed its ringing.

She could only laugh.

Julian grunted irritably into her mouth but said nothing. He continued to hold Brooke down with his weight preventing her escape. She huffed knowing that he was far too strong for her to beat, but there were other ways to outmaneuver her husband. Brooke trailed her hand across the left side of Julian's stomach until she reached that specific spot where he was insanely ticklish. She paused for a brief moment before digging her fingers against his skin and tickling him. Julian instantly jerked back and Brooke cackled at him as she rolled out from underneath him.

"That was dirty trick wife." Julian pouted as he watched Brooke's dimpled grin as she grabbed her cell phone. "Just answer the damn phone already." He said giving up and rolling on to his back, dragging his hands over his face in frustration. "Who is it?" He grumbled when he noticed that Brooke had yet to answer the call.

Brooke held the phone in her hands, her face faltering.

"Baby who is it?" Julian repeated noticing her hesitation.

She bit at her bottom lip. "It's Lucas." She said meekly.

Julian sat up immediately. The last time Lucas had called Brooke at this hour was the night of Peyton's accident. This wasn't a good sign.

"Brooke answer the call." Julian told his wife, who seemed to be frozen in place.

"But…" Honestly she was terrified to hear whatever Lucas had to tell her at the end of that line.

"Brooke take the call." He spoke more forcibly this time, trying to snap Brooke out of her trance. His hand landed on her left shoulder giving it a tight squeeze. "I'm right here." He said encouragingly.

Brooke quickly nodded. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and answered the phone. "Hello, Luke?"

* * *

Julian watched his wife run frantically, while naked, around their bedroom trying to get ready. He'd be laughing right now if the circumstances surrounding her behavior weren't so sucky. She slipped on some underwear before disappearing into the walk-in closet in search of pants. "Brooke what are you doing?" He asked her when she returned with a pair of black jeans in hand.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting dressed so we can go to the hospital." She moved to her dresser and began digging for a bra.

"Lucas told us to stay put." He reminded her.

Brooke glowered over at her husband. "So I'm just supposed to twiddle my thumbs here and wait around? I'm sorry but that's just not happening."

"Wouldn't you be doing exactly the same thing at the hospital?"He pointed out. "Peyton's stable, which is the important part, and the doctors are still trying to figuring out if anything is wrong, but so far everything is looking good according to Luke."

"That could change, they're still running tests Julian!" Brooke hissed.

"I know that babe, and Lucas said he would call us the minute he hears back about Peyton's brain scans."

"But I should be there when she wakes up!" Brooke stammered. "She needs me."

Julian quickly tugged on his boxers from the bed and went to her. "Brooke, Lucas is there with her. He's her husband. He's the one that needs to be there when she wakes up." He gently tried to reason with Brooke as he rubbed her upper arms with his hands.

"But I'm her best friend!" Brooke retorted. "I should be there too!"

"You gotta calm down hun. I know you're feeling a bit frazzled right now, but you gotta take it easy. Let's just do what Lucas is asking. There's nothing we can do for Peyton at the moment and besides Lucas knows you're pregnant. He doesn't want you on your feet all night stressing out and being uncomfortable, when you can be at home in bed. And I'm gonna have to agree with him, you should be resting babe. It's pretty late and unless something comes up, we'll go to the hospital first thing in the morning. I promise."

"I'm pregnant Julian, not immobile. I'm not this fragile thing." The brunette rolled her eyes. Although she was touched by Lucas' concern over her wellbeing, she didn't think it warranted her being banned from the hospital until morning.

"You're just gonna stress out Lucas with the way you're freaking out Brooke and that's something he doesn't need right now. He just wants to be alone with Peyton right now. We have to respect that. That is how we support him through this."

Brooke blew out a breath. "You're right." She admitted with closed eyes and nodded her head. She couldn't imagine what was going through Lucas' mind right now. Of course she wanted to support him and apparently that meant keeping her distance for a few more hours.

"Let's go to bed okay?" Julian offered hoping she wouldn't fight him on this. Brooke nodded dropping the pair of pants in her hands on the ground. Julian tucked her into his side, placing a quick kiss at the top of her head before leading her back to their bed. They crawled into bed and he handed his wife back her t-shirt. Brooke slipped it on and curled on top of Julian's bare chest as he pulled the covers over their bodies. "You okay?" He questioned after some time had passed.

"Not really."

"I know. I'm sorry baby."

"I just saw her today you know? She was feeling sick and I took care of her for a bit. She said it was a stomach bug." Brooke informed him sadly. "Had I known…I could have taken her to the hospital before it got worse."

"This isn't your fault." Julian spoke sternly. "Don't let your mind wander down that route Brooke. These things just happen. Okay?"

"Yea, I guess." She solemnly replied.

"Hey." Julian's hand went to Brooke's chin gently tilting her head up in his direction. "I love you."

Brooke smiled softly. "I love you too." She moved forward planting a kiss on his lips. "Thank you." He always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. Sometimes the brunette couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten with this man. She kissed him once more before setting her head back on his chest.

"We can still have sex if you want." Brooke said nonchalantly after a beat.

They both burst out laughing.

"I'm pretty good right now." Julian wrapped an arm around her, while his other hand laid directly over her growing baby bump. "I've got everything I need right here."

Brooke sighed contently snuggling up further into his side.

"Did you think more about what we talked about?"

Brooke nodded. "I did." She replied quietly.

"And?" Julian frowned. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

"Of course I do. I want exactly what you want."

"Then why aren't you more excited about it?"

Brooke shrugged. "Well with everything that's happened…" She trailed off.

"You'd feel bad leaving Peyton behind." Julian guessed correctly.

"Maybe we can just postpone?" She said in a hopeful tone. "Just until things settle down a bit more." She felt guilty just up and leaving her best friend in her time of need.

"Brooke you are an amazing friend and I love you for that, I really do. And Peyton's like family, her and Lucas, but babe we've got our own little family now and I want what's best for the four of us. Don't you?"

"You know I do."

"I love New York, but I don't see us raising our kids here. We've talked about this." He reminded her.

"I know. I don't wanna raise them here either."

"So then we really gotta start planning this move. You're almost five months pregnant. We're kind of running on a tight schedule here."

Brooke nodded running a hand through her hair. "I know, I know. You're right." They really did need to start getting shit done. There were a lot of moving parts that needed to be handled in preparation of their departure.

"So we're doing this then? Like really doing this?" Julian asked seeking a final confirmation. He was eager to start this new chapter of their lives already.

"Yes." Brooke said reassuringly."I'm ready to come home. Let's move back to Tree Hill."

* * *

Peyton opened her heavy eyelids, releasing a tired breath as she took in her surroundings. It was obvious that she was in the hospital now, though she couldn't recall the trip over. The last thing she remembered was Lucas holding her close. Her green eyes traveled down to her left side. Lucas was sitting in a chair slumped over at her side. His head was resting against her thigh while his hand was linked with hers. From this angle Peyton could only see the top of his head, but the steady rise and fall of his upper body let her know that he was fast asleep.

She smiled weakly, taking her other free hand and lovingly running it through his short blond locks. She hummed slightly as she did so. It didn't take long for Lucas to stir awake.

His blue eyes shot open reaching her sleepy green ones. "You're up." Lucas spoke lifting his head off her thigh and giving Peyton a tired smile.

"Hi." She said quietly. Him being awake didn't stop Peyton from continuing to run her hand through his hair. "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours." Lucas admitted as he checked the time on his phone. They had arrived at the hospital a little before one in the morning in the ambulance. It was six thirty now. He sighed softly enjoying the feeling of her fingers stroking his hair. "How do you feel?"

"Tired. Groggy."

"It's probably from the medication." He explained while nodding over at the IV drip. "They had you on some fluids earlier too. You were a little dehydrated when you first arrived."

"How bad is it?" Peyton questioned suddenly remembering the terrible pain she had experienced in her head, not to mention the small amount of blood coming from her nose. Fear took over her features as she held on to a breath preparing for the worst.

"You're fine baby." Lucas took the hand she had tangled in his hair. He pressed his lips over her knuckles, holding it there for a moment before speaking again. "Everything is fine."

"What? But I thought…"

Lucas shook his head. "All your scans came back clean."

Relief washed over her immediately. "What happened then?" Peyton replied as she tried to sit up and get comfortable.

Lucas jumped up from his chair at once to assist her. "Just normal symptoms from your head injury." Lucas reminded her. "You just passed out from the pain." He helped Peyton rearrange the pillows behind her before sitting back down.

Peyton nodded. Of course she knew the typical symptoms that head trauma patients experienced. Dr. Parker had coached her on what signs to watch out for before she had been released from the hospital last month. And she had been lucky, since waking up from the coma Peyton hadn't really experienced any symptoms. The pain from last night however had been so intense that she honestly thought something had gone terribly wrong with her brain. "But the blood." Peyton challenged. She knew nose bleeds could be in relation to her skull fracture and it scared the shit out of her.

Lucas placed another chaste kiss over her hand to calm her. "They found that your blood was a little thin." He answered. "Dr. Parker figures that you probably went a little overboard with the aspirin for your migraine that's all. It's nothing to be concerned about just a common nose bleed. There hasn't been any more blood since. You're okay Peyton." He reassured her.

Peyton swallowed the large lump in throat. She couldn't hold back the tears that began to slide down her face. Lucas gave her a soft smile, his hand traveling up to her face to wipe away those tears. "Peyton, you're fine. Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

Peyton sniveled. "Is it?" She looked up at Lucas feeling unsure. Her body may have been fine, but things between them sure weren't. He was talking to her and touching her as if nothing wrong had happened between them. Just yesterday he could barely look her in the eye. Everything was far from okay.

"Of course it is. I just told you what the doctor's said."

Peyton shook her head. "I'm not talking about that." She said quietly. "I meant about us. Everything is not okay, you hate me." She said pointedly.

Lucas' face fell right away. He took in a deep breath, both of his hands cradling the sides of her face now. "I don't hate you." He stated his face close to hers.

Peyton looked at him skeptically.

Lucas sighed sadly. "Listen, I know things between us right now aren't…they're not great, but I could NEVER hate you. I love you. I'm always gonna love you Peyton."

As soon as the words left his mouth, she was all over him. Peyton practically jumped on him, throwing her arms around Lucas, burying her face deep into the crook of his neck. She could feel Lucas lightly chuckle beneath her as he wrapped his arms around her waist pressing her up against him. "You promise?" She questioned quietly into his ear, still in tears as her bottom lip trembled slightly. She really couldn't handle the thought of Lucas ever hating her.

"I swear it." Lucas promised placing a kiss over her temple.

Peyton relaxed further into Lucas' embrace, resting the side of her head on his shoulder. She took in a deep whiff of his scent, the now very familiar smell that she had missed so much. Her delicate hands clutched at the back of his t-shirt as she continued to enjoy the feel of him.

They quietly held each other for a long while. She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally spoke up again. "I miss you." Peyton told him as he traced circles over her back with his hands. She had whispered the words into his ear timidly, afraid that maybe Lucas hadn't missed her as much as she had missed him this past week.

She couldn't see it, but those three simple words caused a big smile to form across his lips. Truth was as furious and as hurt as he had felt these past few days, he couldn't deny that he had missed her as well. As a couple they rarely got into huge fights. Smaller heated arguments? Sure. All the time, they were both far too stubborn not to have silly little fights. But fights like the one they had in LA, where hurtful statements could be easily tossed around was very rare. When they did fight like that, the couple of days after were always miserable ones until they finally made up again, and this particular fight was no exception. Though he had tried to ignore it, deep down inside he had been missing her like crazy – that wasn't to say that he wasn't still hurt, upset and angry over everything that had gone down in LA, but at the end of the day this was Peyton. This woman had a hold over him that was impossible to break away from and he wanted to fix this. He really did despite having no clue how to even begin doing that. Hell he wasn't even sure if he could really forgive her yet, but the only thing he was sure of was that he couldn't just walk away from her. He couldn't lose her. He had to have her. He always did.

"I've been going crazy without you." Lucas spoke softly into her ear. He was well aware that there were about a million things they needed to work on, but right now Lucas didn't care. Peyton was going to be okay and that's all that mattered at the moment. The rest could be figured out later. When she had passed out in his arms last night, he felt that familiar painful feeling returning. He feared he was losing her for the second time. He was terrified that somehow she wouldn't be waking up this time.

Peyton silently smiled. His words making her feel like she could breathe easy for the first time in days. "I wanna go home." She spoke, her voice suddenly growing desperate. The last place she wanted to be right now was in this hospital room. All Peyton really needed right now was him, just the two of them perfectly huddled together in bed in their apartment. "Take me home." She urged him, her hold on his shirt becoming tighter. "I don't want to be here anymore. I just wanna be home with you."

"I will baby." Lucas promised speaking soothingly into her ear. "As soon as you're clear to leave I'll take you home."

Peyton nodded into his shoulder. "How much longer will that be?"

"I don't know. I should probably go let the nurse know that you're up."

"No." She quickly spoke refusing to untangle herself from him.

"Peyt I gotta go tell someone you're awake so they can check up on you." Lucas chuckled.

She refused. She had just got him back and had no desire to pull away. "I don't want you to go. Someone will come by eventually, just stay here." She tried reasoning with him.

"I'm coming right back." He told her still chuckling. His hands reached back around his neck, clasping them over hers and then gently removing them.

Peyton lift her head off Lucas' shoulder sending him an unhappy pout as they held hands.

"Sorry to interrupt." The couple broke their eye contact, turning their heads over towards the voice that belonged to Dr. Parker. "I just came by to check up on things and it looks like it was perfect timing." Dr. Parker smiled. "Glad to see you awake Peyton."

"Hi doc." Peyton greeted him.

"I was just about to go tell the nurse." Lucas spoke. "She just woke up. We just need a minute together first." He explained.

"Understandable." Dr. Parker nodded. "How are you feeling Peyton? Tired?"

The blonde nodded. She settled back into her pillows, still holding on to Lucas' hand.

"So I'm sure Lucas has already filled you in on things, but I'll go over them anyway in case you have any questions." Dr. Parker began. "All your scans came back clean. Your skull fracture is still healing nicely and there's no cerebral hemorrhaging present. Your blood was a little thin, but nothing serious and it was most likely caused by whatever pain reliever you've been taking for the migraines."

"See Peyt? I told you everything was fine." Lucas spoke. "When can I take her home?" He asked.

"I'd like to keep Peyton under observation for few more hours as a precaution, but we can have you outta here by the end of the day." Dr. Parker replied.

"So what happened to me last night was just a side effect from my accident, right?" Peyton spoke up looking for confirmation.

"Well that brings me to the next part. Yes and no."

Both blonds frowned simultaneously. "What does that mean?" Peyton questioned.

"In addition to your blood being thin, your blood sugar was a bit on the low side." Dr. Parker explained. "That would explain the headaches, dizziness, fatigue and the dehydration. Any other symptoms I'm missing?"

"Nausea." Peyton immediately answered. "I threw up two nights in a row. My vision was blurry too, bright lights didn't help. My skin felt overheated at times as well."

Lucas looked over at Peyton, his eyes wide. "You said it was just a migraine." He had no idea she had been this sick for the past two days. He instantly felt guilty for not taking any notice.

Peyton remained silent. When exactly was she supposed to tell him when he had been dodging her like the plague? Plus she really thought it had just been a simple stomach bug, but she wasn't about to say any of that out loud right now. Peyton didn't really feel comfortable explaining in front of Dr. Parker that she and Lucas had barely been on speaking terms this past week.

Dr. Parker nodded knowingly. "Those are also symptoms associated with low blood sugar. Are you sleeping and eating well?"

"Not recently." She admitted. Ever since their fight in LA she hadn't had much of an appetite or desire to sleep properly.

"Well that explains it then." Dr. Parker sighed. "You have to take care of yourself Peyton. Your body is still recovering from your accident and you are not at one hundred percent just yet. Right now your blood sugar numbers aren't serious – they're very mild – BUT that doesn't mean it can't get worse and the effects will only get progressively worse if you don't take care of your body. You could develop diabetes, have a seizure or a stroke, fall into another coma – and those are just a few of a long list of things that could go wrong."

Peyton swallowed hard. Every word coming out of the doctor's mouth sounding absolutely terrifying. She could feel Lucas tighten his hold over her hand and she squeezed back.

"Under normal circumstances the head pain shouldn't have been so severe, at least not enough to make you pass out, but your head trauma most likely contributed to the intensity of the pain you experienced. Your head is still very fragile despite the progress you've made. So that means eating properly, getting enough sleep and more importantly taking it easy not only physically, but keeping stress levels down as well. This all affects your wellbeing. I don't mean to scare you, but we need to be smart here."

Peyton nodded. "I know, I'm sorry." She said sadly.

"You have to take better care of yourself."

"She will." Lucas said firmly. "You have my word."

"Good. Let's try to avoid any setbacks shall we?"

Both Lucas and Peyton nodded in agreement.

* * *

Peyton had fallen asleep not long after they had finished talking to Dr. Parker. Not wanting to disturb her Lucas had stepped out into the hall to make a few calls. He had called Brooke and Julian first, letting them know that Peyton had woken up and for the most part everything was going to be okay. It went without saying that Brooke was obviously relieved and informed Lucas that she and Julian would swing by later that afternoon with the car to drive them home from the hospital. After that Lucas called up Nathan and Haley, and then his mother to give them the update.

After he ended his calls, Lucas ran into Dr. Parker out in the hall.

"Peyton resting?"

Lucas nodded. "Yea she seems pretty tired."

"She'll get her energy back once she starts eating well again." Dr. Parker promised. "But I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to check in with you to see how Peyton's adjusting with everything at home. She's not much of talker and I just wanna make sure things are okay.

Lucas chuckled. "Yea she's always kind of been like that." He informed the doctor. "I mean it was hard at first, but she's been slowly accepting things. We're okay." So maybe they weren't hundred percent OKAY recently, but Lucas didn't feel the need to share the details with Dr. Parker. It was something he and Peyton needed to sort through on their own.

"That's good to hear. It's important to make sure she's comfortable and not too stressed out. Obviously after what Peyton has been through, she's bound to be confused and stressed to a degree, but we wanna minimize that anxiety as much as possible so that her emotions don't end up overwhelming her. Peyton's mental health is just as important as her physical health."

Lucas slowly nodded. "Peyton mentioned something about you wanting her to go see a therapist?"

The doctor nodded. "It's common for trauma patients to go see someone. I urged her to try it out at least once, but at the end of the day it's her call. I can't force her to go. Now obviously I don't know your wife like you do and if there's one person who'd be able to notice any unusual shifts in her behavior it would be you."

Lucas frowned. "Like what?"

"I've already gone over this with Peyton, but typical behavioral changes found in head trauma patients include aggression, constant mood swings, impulsivity, changes in personality and then of course there's depression and/or anxiety. It'd be normal for Peyton to experience any of these to some degree, but if the behavior persists and inhibits her from functioning in her everyday life then it becomes a problem."

Lucas paused as he considered Dr. Parker's words. He knew Peyton was different in some ways, but perhaps he had been too naïve in believing that her actions sometimes had more to do with her reluctance to let go of the past rather than it being related to her mental health. It could very well explain her behavior in LA. She had been happy with him for the first couple of days and then her behavior had shifted so drastically that it had confused the hell out of him. In the span of one day Peyton went from not being able to keep her hands off him, to desperately begging through tears for him not to hate her for wanting to talk to Jake, and then after they had finally made up at the reunion her mood flipped once more and she was suddenly mad at him, impulsively picking a fight and accusing him of things that she hadn't bothered to confirm whether or not there was any truth to them.

Initially he had just assumed that Peyton just didn't care about him enough, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe Peyton was struggling with her emotions more than she was letting on.

"I lied before." Lucas suddenly confessed. "Things aren't going so well at home."

Dr. Parker raised an eyebrow in interest.

"We've been fighting and I just feel really disconnected from her most of the time. I don't know what Peyton really wants from me or our marriage. Her behavior is confusing sometimes, even contradicting at some points. I don't know what to do. I love her so much, but it's hard for me to trust her. I have a hard time believing in anything she says right now because I don't know if she's actually going to come through. She says one thing and then acts in another manner." Lucas dragged a hand over his face. "Shit I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I don't know why I just told you all of that. I know it's not your problem to deal with."

"Lucas, if you're concerned about Peyton's behavior then it probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for you to encourage her to go see someone. If she's feeling overwhelmed then she needs to talk to someone about it, especially if she's not able to confide in you. Hoping the issue will go away on its own is not a good strategy and it will most likely continue to hinder your relationship in the long run. I'm obviously not a trained psychologist, but that's just my professional opinion. Probably wouldn't hurt if you saw someone as well."

Lucas blew out a breath now feeling completely overwhelmed himself. Evidently he had a lot to think about.

* * *

So Peyton's gonna be alright guys! I didn't have the heart to make her really sick, our girl has got enough problems as it is.

Next up: We'll be taking a little break from all the heaviness from the last two chapters. Next chapter will be a total flashback revolving around how Leyton gets back together. Get excited for some serious making up between those two!

As always looking forward to everyone's thoughts on this chapter. Were people feeling the Brulian scenes?


	26. Rather Be

Reviews

 **Mia** – Thank you! Glad you're all caught up now.

 **S. Jamedra** – Peyton is a stubborn one and it wouldn't be out of character for her to refuse getting some help – if you remember she was pretty skeptical about it the first time it was brought up by Dr. Parker (as was Lucas) – but perhaps some coaxing from Lucas might be enough to convince her? We'll see.

 **Chilarie07** – Oh don't worry Leyton will always be the main focus of this story! Fair enough if you're not into the Brulian! Everything has been so heavy lately in this story that my brain needed a break and I wanted to add some playful comic relief to the chapter with that opening scene.

 **Tpassions** – This next chapter is much longer, so enjoy! I kind of got carried away with the flashback.

 **Sunnyde123** – Flashbacks will continue to appear throughout this story for sure! I love writing them.

 **thibbs65** – Glad you liked the Brulian, yay!

 **Mufc87** – Yea I was never going to make her seriously ill. I just needed a way to get those two back on speaking terms.

 **Daydreamerdb** – Thanks so much! Glad you're loving the story and you'll be happy to know that there's some serious Leyton smut going on in this chapter. Maybe even a little too much…lol

 **Annie** – lol you're welcome for not making Peyton really sick!

 **Happyvalley74** – You can uncross those fingers now!

 **Guest** – I'm in agreement with you about Leyton needing that silver lining. Now these two can finally start working on their real issues.

 **Guest** – Thank you for reading! Hope you like the making up!

* * *

As promised this entire chapter is a flashback. Major smut warning in this one, so if that's not your thing I suggest skipping the last part of this chapter. As I mentioned many chapters ago, writing smut is super new for me - I've never written it before this story - so I'm still getting comfortable with writing it! So be kind guys! lol

Also just a quick suggestion for those who leave anonymous reviews, if you could leave some sort of name attached to your feedback that would be great - obviously not mandatory or anything - but it does make it easier to keep track of who I'm actually replying to (some of you already do this, so thank you!) Once again though just a suggestion!

Chapter Track: 'Rather Be' by Clean Bandit (feat. Jess Glynne)

* * *

Chapter 26: Rather Be

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2009**

Luck had been on her side this evening. She had reached that little bakery on the other side of town a few minutes before they were closing up for the night. She had been even luckier when she was able to purchase the last apple tart available. After hitting up the bakery, Peyton raced home to change and look somewhat presentable for dinner with Lucas and his mother – assuming Lucas wouldn't slam the door in her face that is. She was running late enough as it is, but she didn't want to show up dressed in the band tee and jeans she had worn to work today. She figured she had to look like she'd made some effort to look nice for Karen.

There wasn't enough time for a fresh shower, so she quickly peeled off her clothes and frantically began searching for something to wear. Most of her clothes had already been packed up in boxes for the move, so she had to tear through a couple before she found something that sort of worked. She had settled on a simple light grey top and a short black skirt. The skirt wasn't inappropriately short to be wearing when meeting someone's parent for the first time, but it was short enough to give Lucas an eyeful of her long legs. She knew he had a thing for her legs and so yeah she was playing a little dirty. Anything that would work in her favor this evening was game in her book. After she got dressed, Peyton went to work on her hair. It was a sweaty curly mess from the heat, so she wet the top and slicked it back into a high ponytail. Next came makeup and Peyton kept it simple. It was summer after all so she had a nice sun-kissed glow going on. She applied a small amount of blush on her cheeks and some black eyeliner that made her green eyes pop out. She threw on some lip gloss and was out the door.

It had taken her some time to locate Lucas' house. She'd never been over before and had dropped him off once late at night, so Peyton could only vaguely remember that the house was somewhere on Barnette Drive. She probably should have phoned him beforehand to check if she was still welcomed, but then if she called him she just knew the call would be weird and awkward, and somewhere along the way she would lose her nerve and not go through with any of it. Plus if she just showed up hopefully Lucas would take pity on her and not turn her away – at least not in front of his mother. He was far too nice to do that – another dirty trick she could surely use to her advantage.

Peyton parked the car, exited, and made her way up to the house. She climbed the few steps leading up to the porch and paused at the door of the house. She sure hoped this was the right house. Peyton raised a fist and knocked on the door before taking a step back.

The porch lights flickered on a few seconds later and of course that's when the nerves kicked in. She stood there with a fast beating heart and sweaty palms that held the box of dessert she'd brought. She took a deep breath just as the door swung open.

"I got it ma!" Lucas called out, his face turned away after he had opened the door. He turned to greet his visitor, freezing in place the second their eyes locked. "Peyton." He stared at her with wide eyes. Clearly he hadn't been expecting her. He was shocked to say the least. His mouth flapped open to say something, but then he paused, quickly shutting it closed. Frankly he really didn't know what to say and he didn't know why she was even here. Though he couldn't deny how his heart had skipped a beat at the first sight of her.

"Hi." She greeted him with a nervous smile. Her voice small and meek.

"Hey." He spoke, the confusion present in both his voice and face as he shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

Peyton pressed down hard on her lips. This was starting to get awkward – not that she hadn't expected it – but someone needed to say something.

Also Lucas looked really good.

Like really good.

And it was really distracting Peyton from being able to say anything further.

He was just wearing a simple tee and jeans, his hair impossibly messy – clearly he had ran his hand through it more than a few times – and still he looked perfectly handsome. A whole week had passed since they parted ways. Only now that she was actually standing in front of him, seeing him for the first time in seven days, it sure felt alot longer than that. It felt like weeks had passed. Peyton had gotten so used to seeing his face every single day for hours at a time. It had become routine.

And god how she had missed him this past week. Those seven days had dragged on rather painfully and she had tried her best not to think of him at all, which she quickly learned was pretty much impossible, and she had been much too stubborn to reach out to him.

Peyton knew she had missed Lucas, but now standing here in front of him made her realize just _how much_ she had missed him. Despite him standing there right now she was suddenly aching for him, and she knew she never wanted to go this long without seeing him again. She never expected to feel this way, especially not about some boy she barely knew. A boy she had known for one month, two weeks, and two and a half days.

Yup that's right she had counted it down.

She wanted him, but more importantly did he still want her?

Peyton nervously licked her lips, getting an awful tasteful of her lip gloss that she was forced to choke down. She made a face.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" He spoke hesitantly.

The blonde quickly nodded. She had stalled enough. "Listen I know I probably should have called and all instead of just showing up here but…"

She swallowed hard.

"Am I too late?"

The way Lucas looked at her made it clear that he understood what she was _really_ asking him.

And it had nothing to do with her being late for dinner.

He knew what Peyton meant. She was asking if she had missed her window of opportunity to fix things. She was asking if it was too late for them to be together. For them to try again. She was asking for a second chance.

"You're not too late." He answered softly. "It's not too late." He reaffirmed.

Her pink lips slowly curved up into a small smile that soon transformed into a giant grin. She was unable to contain both her excitement and relief. Lucas matched the grin on her face. He couldn't help it either.

"Lucas hunny, who's at the door?" Karen called out from the kitchen.

"It's Peyton mom." He called back while still keeping the smile plastered on his face as he looked at Peyton. "Turns out she could make dinner after all." He hadn't told Karen that they had stopped seeing each other. He had simply told his mother that Peyton couldn't make it. He guessed that deep down inside he had been hoping they'd work things out. He had been waiting on her.

And thankfully she had come around.

This entire week had sucked without her.

"Oh great!" Karen called back. "Dinner's almost ready. Help your sister set the table please."

"Sure thing." Lucas replied.

"I got the apple tart." Peyton took a step forward offering him the box in her hands. "That's what your mom likes right?"

Lucas smiled again. "Yeah, that's it." He took the dessert from Peyton's hands. "C'mon in." He motioned for her to enter the house and Peyton followed him inside. As Lucas led her through the house, he leaned over, his lips hovering over her right ear. "By the way you look really nice." He whispered before pulling his head back.

Peyton looked over just in time to catch Lucas' baby blues drop down to her legs. He shamelessly gazed at them in complete admiration. She almost had to bite back the chuckle that threatened to escape past her lips.

Thank god for this skirt.

* * *

Lucas had been nothing but attentive as usual, making sure Peyton was comfortable, always asking if she needed anything. He appeared relaxed in her presence and didn't seem to have any animosity towards her over last week's embarrassing outburst. He was full of smiles and jokes the entire evening. It was all very friendly behavior - at points maybe a little too friendly. She had caught his eyes wandering over her legs several times that evening, taking the opportunity when both his mother and sister had been preoccupied. Not that she was complaining. He was still interested and that was a good thing.

However she had noticed that he hadn't touched her not once the entire evening. There were no fingers interlocked, no hand at the small of her back guiding her around his home, not even a chaste kiss to the cheek. It was a bit disheartening because Lucas really never wasted an opportunity to touch her. His hands were usually connected to her body in one way or another. He was drawn to her like a moth to a flame – and no she wasn't being presumptuous either. He had actually told her that once. It had happened one night while they were laying in bed after he'd had his way with her. He muttered in that sexy tone his voice would have right after sex and proceeded to tell her how much his hands were drawn to her skin. How much they were just aching to touch her. Her skin was the flame and his hands were the moth that was unable to resist the lure of her. They were begging to feel the heat of her skin. They were begging to be burned by her flame. She remembered vividly how worked up she had gotten after he'd told her that – the man did have one hell of a way with words. And it wasn't long before Lucas was on top of her again, thrusting into her with such force while she held on tightly and moaned his name repeatedly.

Though now she was beginning to think that Lucas had it wrong all along. While sitting next to him all throughout dinner, her body was the one being drawn in. She was definitely the moth in this situation. She craved the heat of his hands. Her skin wanted to burn from his touch. She was craving the feel of him and had been left feeling disappointed all night. And sure the lack of PDA could very well have been due to the presence of his mother, but of course the insecure part of her began to cast a cloud of doubt within. Peyton wondered if maybe he was still hurt and upset – after all they still hadn't had a chance to really talk about things. She hadn't had a chance to apologize for her behavior and perhaps Lucas was still waiting on that. She planned on speaking with him later tonight. She would ask him to come over tonight.

She was currently in the living room sitting directly across from Karen as they sipped on warm tea and engaged in pleasant conversation. The dinner Karen had whipped up had been absolutely wonderful. Peyton couldn't remember the last time she had a home cooked meal, she rarely used the kitchen in her own house. She had stuffed her face throughout the entire dinner and had a pretty happy belly right now.

She thought the atmosphere during dinner had been pretty good too. It was surprisingly comfortable, and not at all awkward the way meeting someone's parents for the first time can be. The flow of the conversation between the three adults felt natural and not at all forced. It was light and even funny at times – especially with Lily entertaining the table in that her cute little voice of hers.

Peyton had taken a quick liking to Karen. She was warm and kind, and had this welcome glowing that was sort of impossible not to be drawn in to. She reminded Peyton of her own mother, which was both sad and comforting at the same time. During dinner Karen asked her about college, her time in LA, what it was like working in the music industry, her plans for the future, etc. And Peyton asked Karen about how she started running her café and what made her decide to open up a night club in Tree Hill. As a teen she had spent alot of nights at Tric with her friends. She had a lot of fun memories there.

Lily Scott was as cute as a button. She was polite, talkative, and quite funny for a four year old. She also had that signature Scott smirk down. God help Karen when that little girl grew old enough to have boys chasing after her. That smirk was going to win over and break a lot of hearts in this town. Over dessert Peyton had also learned that Lily was a bit of an over-sharer when out of the blue she announced to the table that she had caught her brother and Peyton kissing in the back of the café, and then ranted on about how gross it was to be kissing boys. Lucas had practically choked on the piece of apple tart in his mouth from the reveal, while Peyton had turned beet red, looking anywhere but in Karen's direction. Karen held back her laughter with a smile and quickly told her daughter that kissing boys was grownup business and that she shouldn't worry about it.

Peyton had buried her face in her hands feeling completely mortified.

It was then that Lucas had announced he'd do the dishes and started clearing up the table, desperate to end the current topic of conversation. His little sister had the worst timing ever.

So that's where Lucas was now, in the kitchen washing the used dishes from dinner with Lily as his happy little helper. Peyton had offered to help clean up, but Karen had refused, quickly shuffling her down the hall and into the living room, while mumbling something about Lucas being fully capable of handling the dishes on his own.

"My son absolutely hates doing dishes and tries to get out of it any chance he gets. He's only offered to do them tonight because you're here. No doubt to impress you." Karen clued Peyton in. "You should come over more often. I'd like to see what other housework I can get my son to do in your presence without complaint." The older woman teased.

Peyton laughed loudly. "Those rain gutters are looking a bit clogged." The blonde quipped.

Karen smiled. "See I knew I would like you."

Peyton laughed again before taking a sip of her tea. "I'm full of all kinds of good ideas Karen. Feel free to hit me up anytime."

Karen followed suit and lifted her mug to her lips, taking a long sip of her tea. "You know…" She began setting her mug back down on the coffee table. "When Lucas told me that he was dating you I was a little surprised."

The blonde's green eyes narrowed down a bit in confusion. "Really? Why?"

"Well pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless." Karen quickly added. "That poor boy has had a crush on you for as long as I can remember."

Peyton's eyes widened, her lips giving off a surprised smile.

"You had no idea, did you?"

Peyton shook her head. "Not a clue." She answered. "Since when?"

Karen paused in thought. "Since middle school."

Peyton's jaw dropped and Karen chuckled at the reaction. "You're kidding right?" Lucas had never mentioned this to her.

"Oh I'm dead serious." Karen replied, still slightly chuckling. "But he was always too shy to talk to you or find a way to get you to notice him. And then there was Nathan of course…"

Peyton sighed. "Right." She said understanding immediately. "And then I had another boyfriend after that too." She added.

"I assumed he got over it after high school since he never saw you again and he did have a couple of girlfriends during college, but I guess I was wrong." Karen smirked. "I'm kind of glad I was wrong."

"Wow I really had no idea." Peyton drawled out. "That's a really long time to have a crush on someone." In that moment she realized that Lucas had fooled her from the very beginning. He was never content with just having a casual relationship with her. He had wanted so much more than that. He had wanted it all and he wanted it with her. Things were starting to make so much more sense now.

And Peyton didn't find herself growing upset with him. Had she discovered this piece of information a few weeks ago then she probably would have freaked out – she definitively would have. She would have ended things immediately and never looked back. But her heart was in a different place now and she wasn't afraid to admit that she kind of wanted it all with him too.

"I almost feel kind of bad now. I don't think I ever spoke two words to him in high school." She admitted sheepishly.

"Well answer this for me. Had Lucas pursued you in high school do you think you would have given him the time of day?"

Not wanting to lie to the woman Peyton shook her head. "Probably not." She admitted.

"Well then look at it this way. Everything was supposed to happen the way it did. The timing wasn't right back then, but seems like that's worked itself out now."

Peyton smiled appreciating Karen's words of wisdom.

"Don't tell him I told you though." Karen requested. "He'll kill me." She teased. "If you ever bring it up say you heard it from someone else." The woman teased.

Peyton playfully nodded. "Understood." She spoke and laughed.

Karen paused before speaking up again. "He lights up when he talks about you. You should know that you make my son very happy."

Peyton blew out a breath, a wave of emotion taking over. She felt that strange yet familiar tingle warming her insides, while making her smile on the outside. Her heart swelled with delight and reassurance over the fact that she hadn't completely blown it with Lucas. If it wasn't too late like he had told her, then she really could still fix things between them. In her head Peyton silently thanked Karen for sharing those words with her. "Well then you should know that you raised a good man. I know I haven't known Lucas for very long, but I really do care about him." Peyton thought it was only fair to do some sharing of her own. "He's one of the good ones." She added.

Both women exchanged wordless smiles. Nothing else needed to be said on the matter. There was a mutual understanding there.

"So…" Peyton began. "Are you seeing anyone?" The blonde questioned with a coy look playing across her lips.

Karen grinned and after a little coaxing from Peyton, she informed the blonde that she had recently reconnected with an old ex and it had been going very well.

His name was Andy.

* * *

"I told you twice that you needed to get your transmission checked." Lucas scolded as he made the left turn onto Peyton's street.

Peyton had stayed at the Roe-Scott residence for about another hour before calling it a night. Karen thanked her again for the dessert and let her know she was welcome over anytime. After bidding Karen and Lily farewell one last time, Lucas had followed Peyton out of the house, escorting the blonde to her car. When Peyton started her car the engine had made a series of loud noises that had Lucas concerned. A few weeks back he had noticed her car was running a little off, informing her that she needed to get it checked out. He had shaken his head disapprovingly the whole time as she held a flashlight, while he had inspected the car. It was too dark to really tell what the issue was, so they left the car at his house – he refused to let Peyton drive claiming it wasn't safe. So now he was driving her home in his red mustang.

"Well yea and you said you were gonna do it." Peyton reminded him.

"And you were supposed to bring the car by the shop so I could do that. I can't work without my tools Peyt." He said pointedly. This all could've been avoided if she had just listened to him in the first place.

"I forgot!" Peyton defended. "And then after last week I wasn't going to just show up and demand that you fix my car." Not that she hadn't been tempted by the idea. Peyton had briefly entertained the notion of getting her car repaired as an excuse to go see Lucas. He was still friendly with the guys that had taken over Keith's Body Shop after his uncle's passing. When the mood struck him, Lucas would still stop by and work on cars from time to time. Peyton had quickly dismissed the idea of visiting the shop knowing it wouldn't have been fair to him.

"I would have still fixed it for you." Lucas said quietly. He wanted her to be safe.

"I know." She knew because that was just the type of person he was. "I guess I just assumed you wouldn't wanna see me anyway."

Lucas slowed down the car as they reached her house. He turned the keys with a flick of his wrist, turning off the engine. "You assumed wrong."

Peyton sighed and clicked off her seatbelt. "Are you spending the night?" She looked over at him hopeful.

"I can't. Mom's waiting on me to get back."

"Oh." She managed to hide the disappointment from her face, but the tone of her voice was a dead giveaway.

Did he not want to work things out anymore?

"I can come by tomorrow." Lucas offered. "If you want me to that is."

"Of course I want you to." She replied eagerly. "I have work in the morning though."

"I know." He knew her schedule well. "I'll come over after. I'm off tomorrow so I'll work on the car too."

"Okay." She was disappointed Lucas wasn't staying over now, but at least he still wanted to see her tomorrow. Hopefully they'd be able to get past this and move forward.

"I'm really glad you came tonight Peyton." He told her. "My mom really liked you."

Peyton smiled and nodded. "I really liked her too." She was waiting for Lucas to make a move to kiss her by now, but his hands were still on the steering wheel making it painfully obviously that he wasn't going to. "So tomorrow right?"

"Tomorrow." Lucas confirmed with a slight nod of the head.

"Okay, tomorrow then." She took in a deep breath. "We can talk about stuff…"

Stuff meaning them.

Him and her.

Lucas nodded once more in agreement.

"Alright, goodnight then." She pulled on the handle of the passenger door and pushed it open.

"Peyt."

The blonde whipped her head around in his direction. She then looked down at her lap, where his right hand had fallen on her left thigh, right below the hem of her black skirt. It was the only physical contact he had made all evening and Peyton was happily soaking it all in. His touch was warm and wonderful.

"Nice legs." There was a light tone of humor mixed in with his husky voice.

Peyton looked away from her lap, raising an eyebrow in Lucas' direction. The smirk on his face was so wide, making those dimples on each side of his face appear. He knew she had worn that skirt just for him, and the way Peyton was tugging at her lower lip with her teeth let him know that she wasn't denying the fact.

"Nice hands." She finally spoke after a long heated pause during which their eyes locked on one another. She copied his smirk when she had spoken.

Peyton felt Lucas' large hand rub her thigh before squeezing it tightly. Her breath hitched and she silently prayed for his hand to inch itself higher underneath her skirt. What he was doing right now felt spectacular. But apparently she was getting too ahead of herself. Seconds later his hand was gone and along with it the heat of his touch. Her thigh felt unbearably cold now.

"Tomorrow." He repeated the word once more.

Peyton nodded. She leaned over pressing a chaste kiss on the side of his cheek before exiting the mustang. She smirked to herself as she walked to her front door. Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel his gorgeous blue eyes on her the entire time. He was without a doubt checking out her legs again and Peyton had made sure to add a little extra swing to her hips as she walked – just to tease him a little for not spending the night with her. When she was safely inside her house she heard his car pull out of her driveway, and more importantly she could have swore she heard Lucas let out a curse that sounded a lot like regret as he pulled away from her house.

* * *

It was almost five in the morning when Peyton woke up to the creaking noise of the wooden floorboards of her house. She was in a sleepy daze, but she could tell that someone was in the house. Quietly she reached for the wooden bat she kept hidden in the tight space between her bed and nightstand. Perhaps she was imagining things and no one was there, but she wasn't about to take any chances.

"Hello?" She called out, the bat held high over her shoulder as she clutched it tightly. "Is someone there?"

The door of her room slightly creaked opened and the blonde panicked instantly breaking out into a cold sweat.

There was a soft reply. "It's me."

Peyton blew out a breath of relief, her shoulders relaxing upon recognizing the voice.

Lucas' dark figure came into view.

"You jerk!" Peyton cried out as she dropped the bat on the bed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." She sighed deeply falling back onto the mattress. She switched on the lamp by her bed in the lowest setting, illuminating the room with a dim glow.

Lucas walked towards the bed taking care not to trip over the numerous moving boxes scattered across the floor. His form became more visible as the light hit him. "Sorry." He said apologetically and then eyed the bat on the bed. "And what exactly were you planning on doing with that?" He teased while sporting that sexy smirk Peyton loved so goddamn much.

"Well I was about to give your ass the biggest beat down known to man." She quipped. The remark laced in sarcasm.

"Is that so?" He mocked her with a grin.

"I'll have you know that I was in junior league softball as a kid. I know my way around a bat." The blonde boasted proudly. She picked up her bat, returning it to its rightful hiding nook.

"I bet you were good at running around those bases too." He delivered the comment while shamelessly ogling her long legs along with the boyshorts she wore to bed.

"Shut up." Peyton mumbled, her cheeks warming up from the compliment and the obvious double entendre behind it.

Lucas frowned in disappointment as he watched said legs disappear under the bed sheet.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" A small yawn escaped her lips as she settled back into her mattress.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't sleep." He quietly admitted. What he really meant was that he couldn't sleep without her next to him. He hadn't slept well all week.

Peyton smiled softly and patted an empty spot on the right side of the mattress indicating for him to join her. Lucas kicked off his sneakers and removed his jeans. He peeled off his shirt, switched off the light, and then slid into bed next to Peyton. She lifted the sheet wrapping it around them both. She wasn't sure if she should tuck herself into his side like she usually did when they went to sleep, but then Lucas made the decision for her, tugging Peyton his way and wrapping an arm around her. She had her head on his bare chest, tucked underneath his chin, while her left hand laid flat over his toned stomach and her left leg was bent and slightly hanging off his hip.

Neither of them said another word, so Peyton focused her attention on the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear and the sharp intake of his breath. Lucas ran his fingers up and down her left arm repeatedly and buried his nose in her hair missing that familiar scent of hers. An hour passed, both of them still wide awake and completely silent, the only change being the room was no longer pitch black. The sun was starting to rise, allowing a faint light to peek through the edges of the curtains that hung from the windows of Peyton's room.

"Peyton?"

The blonde released a hum letting Lucas know that she was still awake.

"I need to tell you something." Lucas stated no longer having the patience to hold off this conversation. "I need to make things clear."

"I'm listening." She replied softly, the right side of her face still pressed down against the warm skin of his hard chest.

"Either you're with me or you're not." He told Peyton, letting the blonde know that there was no in-between this time around. "It can't be like before. I won't be satisfied with the uncertainty." He continued on, the tone of his voice sounding serious and determined. "That's not enough for me anymore." Truth is it never was – from the very beginning. And Lucas suspected that Peyton knew that all along.

"I know." She had expected this and she understood where Lucas was coming from.

"We're good together." He quietly told her. They were perfect for each other, couldn't she see that? They could be really happy together, all he needed was for her to be committed.

"We are." Peyton replied, agreeing with his statement. She really couldn't deny that simple fact. No one else really got her the way he did.

She heard his sigh of relief at her response.

"So what's it gonna be then? Are you mine or not?" Lucas waited for her decision with bated breath and a heavy heart.

Peyton shifted her head, her chin now resting on Lucas' chest as she looked up at him affectionately with those wide glimmering green eyes of hers. "I'm yours Luke."

"Yeah?" His hand went to her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

She nodded. "Yeah." She spoke with a smile.

Lucas grinned feeling absolutely elatedly. "Thank god." He groaned before closing the gap between them, slamming his lips down hard over hers. Peyton moaned softly as his hungry lips devoured hers and pried them apart allowing him to hastily slip in his tongue. After a week of being apart, everything made sense again now that their lips were joined together once more. "I dunno what I would have done had you said no." He muttered desperately, making Peyton chuckle.

"Well I guess we'll never know now." She told Lucas soothingly, not wanting him to worry about it anymore.

"Are you really sure?" Lucas questioned her one last time in-between hungry kisses as his hand left her face and traveled down the side of her body stopping mid-thigh.

"Positive." She gave him a breathy reply as she returned each and every one of those kisses. She felt her skin begin to tingle when Lucas began to rub her naked thigh. She had missed these lips and those hands so much. She had been starved for their attention. This had been the longest week of her life. Not being with him just wasn't an option anymore. "I want this." She told him softly.

"Good." Lucas mumbled over Peyton's lips. He kissed her deeply one last time before pulling back slightly. "I'm going to make you so happy." He pledged to her. Now that she was finally giving him and their relationship an honest chance he would do everything in his power to keep her happy, to keep her at his side always. "You'll see." He promised. "I won't let you down. No one will ever make you as happy as I will. I'm gonna give you everything because I want everything with you Peyton. I want it all with you."

Peyton felt her eyes water and her heart swell. She pulled his lips back to hers, a lone tear trailing down her face as their lips locked. Little did Lucas know that he had already delivered on that promise. She'd never felt happier then when she was with him. No one had made her feel the way she felt right now, not Jake, not Nathan, or any of the other guys she had gone on dates with in the last year. Lucas had her heart now, and boy was she falling fast into this remarkable endless pit of desire and heightened emotions that Peyton knew she'd be unable to successfully climb her way out of. More importantly she had no need to. She would glad sink in this pit as long as Lucas was there with her. In many ways it felt like a dream really or something you only saw on film. She didn't know it was possible to feel so strongly about one single person, but here he was, and Peyton wasn't scared anymore.

"You already do." She said breathlessly when they broke apart for air, their foreheads touching and their lips slightly grazing one another.

Lucas' blue eyes bore into her green ones, not quite understanding what she meant.

She smiled at his adorable confusion. Was he really that clueless about the way he made her feel? "I'm happy Lucas. I can't remember the last time I was this happy and it's because of you. You drive me crazy in all the right ways."

Lucas grinned and seconds later Peyton found herself flat on her back with his weight pressed down on her. She sighed at the feel of him. His hard chest pressed against hers, his hips digging into hers, his toned legs tangled with hers – the feel of him was always incredible. She moaned when his lips returned on hers, and when her hips buckled slightly against his Lucas grunted in her mouth and pressed his growing erection firmly against her underwear. "I want you baby." Lucas took her left leg and hiked it above his hip. "I want you now." He conveyed his point by grinding against her center.

Peyton pushed her hips right back against his, feeling that familiar spark of heat and desire wash over her body, taking complete control of her senses. "What are you waiting for then?" She spoke, her voice husky and needy for him. Their hips continued to persistently grind against one another, both of them groaning loudly from the delicious friction.

He molded his lips with hers once more. One of his hands was tightly gripped around her waist, while the other slipped underneath her t-shirt to palm her breasts. A low moan escaped past her lips when she felt Lucas' hand squeeze her left breast. He released his hold, bunching the shirt up above her breasts. His lips left hers, his head lowering until he captured her left breast again with his mouth this time.

"Luke." With closed eyes Peyton moaned out his name as she felt him lap his tongue over and around her hardened nipple. Her fingers weaved themselves into his hair, and when he bit down gently teasing her with his teeth, her back arched off the bed and her hips pressed into his allowing Peyton to feel again how painfully hard and ready Lucas was for. Peyton chewed at her bottom lip, her head thrashing slightly from side to side against her pillow upon feeling his tongue dart out yet again. He swirled it around her breast a few more times before placing a chaste kiss over it and then moving on to the right one, providing the same attention her left breast had received. When he was done she assisted him in the removal of her shirt.

His fingers hooked onto her underwear and he pulled himself back, standing up on his knees while tugging the thin material down her hips and past her legs before tossing them off the bed. Peyton stretched out one of her legs, playfully pushing the bottom of her foot against his chest.

"Someone's eager." Lucas teased after Peyton had tossed a condom his way.

"You're one to talk." She mocked while looking up at him innocently as she trailed her lone foot on his chest down his abdomen, gliding it past his pelvic bone and proceeding to lightly brush it along the length his erection.

"Fuck." Lucas hisses, his eyes snapping shut from the brief sensation. Pulling himself together, Lucas quickly sheds off his own underwear, rolling the condom on in record time. "Baby I'm always eager when it comes to you." He then situates himself between her legs once more pressing his weight down on Peyton before seeking her mouth. Her hands lock together behind Lucas' neck, and she makes little sounds of approval as his lips move on her hers and presses them along her jaw line before landing at the shell of her ear, where he then nibbles and sucks lightly. In between their hips his hardness is pressed up against her center in the most delicious way, the tip of his manhood rubbing lightly against that tiny bundle of nerves.

She can feel her desire growing and she wants more.

She needs more.

And she's getting impatient.

One of Peyton's hands abandon Lucas' neck and she reaches down between them, her fingers immediately locking over his dick. She squeezes him and without delay she feels his hot breath hit her ear and hears the low grunt that accompanies it. He's already rock hard, but she strokes him anyway loving the way his breath hitches and the gruff sound of her name spilling from his mouth. Her hands squeeze him one last time, and then she's widening her legs a bit more and guiding him inside her. Her breath hitches as the first few inches of him slid inside her warmth. She pulls her hand away setting it down across Lucas' back, her fingertips trailing down his spine. They both groan loudly when Lucas thrusts downwards pushing the rest of himself inside her center. He's buried to the hilt, stilling for a moment – both of them relishing in this moment. It's been seven whole days since the last time they were joined together like this. Seven days too long, and neither one of them have any desire to go this long without satisfying each other again.

Lucas places a kiss at the corner of her mouth and then he's moving inside her, his hips rolling slowly not wanting to rush this reunion of their bodies. Her eyes are closed and she can feel Lucas' heavy breath hit the side of her neck where his head has fallen as he continues to move inside her walls, still buried deep. Peyton's rolling her hips meeting every delivered stroke and she wraps one of her legs around his waist allowing both of them to move more freely. He's picked up the pace now, not too fast, not too slow – the perfect rhythm – and their heavy breathing escalates, puffs of air transforming into labored moans and whimpered cries, while fingernails dig into flesh leaving behind deep half-moon imprints as their mutual pleasure increases.

She's gasping in his ear for more and is surprised when he pulls his weight back instead. His chest no longer pressed up against hers, his body no longer directly hovering over hers, but he's still buried deep and Peyton observes him hook an arm underneath each of her knees, he keeps them bent pushing them back towards her. Lucas momentarily slides out of her only to slam back in just as quickly. The new position has him entering her at a new angle that has Peyton crying out in ecstasy the second his dick hits this new spot within her walls. Lucas continues to repeat the motion making sure to rotate his hips each time he slams down and fills her to the hilt.

His continued efforts have Peyton moaning out a mixture of incoherent words and sounds, the warm pleasure inside of her steadily building up. Her hands are clawing at the sheets since she can't reach him at the moment and the only thing her brain can focus on is on how unbelievably good this feels right now. Her walls are clenching around Lucas' length and he's grunting violently. Still needing more he snaps her legs shut, straightening them out and lifting them towards his chest so that her feet are hanging off his left shoulder. She's even tighter now, the increased friction sending his eyes to the back of his head as he continues to slam into her, his arms wrapped tightly around her long legs, the side of his face rest against them.

When Lucas reopens his eyes he finds that one of her hands has inched its way down between them, her fingers strumming along her swollen nub. His eyes are in a haze of lust as he watches his girl pleasure herself as he's still slamming his hips forward forcibly.

Their eyes briefly make contact.

"Keep going baby." He urges her in a gruff voice. The view he has of her right now is so unbelievably fucking sexy and in no way does he want her to stop touching herself.

He can hardly believe that she's all his now.

Peyton gladly obliges with the request. Her fingers continue to rotate over her clit just the way she likes it and Lucas' eyes are glued to her movements. She's watching him while he watches her touch herself and it has Peyton squeezing her legs a little tighter. It has her moaning his name just a little deeper. And it has her desire to touch his skin again growing. Her fingers are still strumming along and then she halts, denying herself from falling off the ledge. She needs him closer first.

Her feet are sliding of his shoulder and Lucas releases his hold on her legs, allowing Peyton to bend them back and part them once more. She lowers them down until each of her feet are firmly planted flat on the mattress, knees still bent up, with one on each side of him. She beckons him over with a lone finger and his lowers himself, his weight pressed up against her body again. Her hands are reaching for his face pulling him close, her tongue swiping along the line of his mouth and when his lips finally part she can feel his tongue eagerly begin dancing with hers.

"I missed you Luke. I missed you so much." The blonde confesses through labored breaths. "And god how I've missed this." She moans to Lucas as she feels every inch of him continuing to stroke her walls.

And of course he feels exactly the same. How could he not? This is the girl he'd been dreaming of since he was a kid and now she was finally his. She belonged to no one but him and he intended to keep it that way. He wouldn't take her for granted like his idiot brother had done back then and he mostly certainly would never be walking away from her like Jake had. Peyton would never need any other man but him from now on.

Lucas kissed her hard. His feverish lips showing her just how much he had missed her too.

Her hand slid down making its way between them again. Her pleasure was teetering on the edge, desperately seeking release as her walls clung tightly on his cock. Suddenly his hand stopped hers from going any further. She pouted up at him. "I'm so close." She begged him to let her finish.

"Just a little longer baby. Please." Lucas grunted in her ear wanting to prolong this just a little bit longer. He just wanted to draw out the feel of her, especially when last week had him believing that he would never get the opportunity to be with Peyton like this ever again.

Peyton whimpered in protest, but she didn't fight him on it. Her arms lock behind his neck. Her moans escaping into his mouth as she continued to rock her hips along with his. Her legs were now tightly pressed up on each side of his hips. She couldn't handle it anymore. She wanted to come around him so badly. Her body was screaming at her at the unwanted delay. "Lucas please. I just can't…" She mumbled over his lips. "I'm dying here." She begged him in-between shared groans as his thrusting became more urgent.

Lucas chuckled lightly at her, but truth was he was pretty much nearing his end as well. He captured her lower lip between him teeth, sucking on it hard just the way she liked. His fingers landed on her bundle of nerves and Peyton's back instantly arched off the bed. When he flicked her clit in a tease, her fingernails dug into his shoulders in warning. "Stop fucking teasing me." She grunted, his mouth still firmly attached over her bottom lip.

His body shook in laughter, but when she squeezed her inner walls around him tightly Lucas quickly snapped out of it and went back to his task. His breath turned ragged once more, his movements inside her quickly becoming less rhythmic and more desperate. His fingers pushed down hard on her button and rotated swiftly, and it wasn't long before he felt Peyton grind herself against his hand. Lucas watched her head fall back into her pillow as her eyes clamped shut, and when her teeth bit down over her bottom lip he knew it wouldn't be long. His fingers pressed down harder and she gasped loudly. They worked themselves faster around her and seconds later her body shook as she came. The tight grip Peyton had around him had Lucas' forehead falling on her shoulder and with clenched teeth he repeatedly plunged himself inside her tight heat coming loudly after reaching his own release.

* * *

"Luke?" Peyton calls out to him, her fingers running through his short locks gently. It's a very predictable habit of hers. It's one of her favorite things to do right after sex. She finds the act soothing, and it usually lulls both her and Lucas right to sleep. Both of them however are still wide awake, still wired from their intense lovemaking from not too long ago.

"Yea babe?" Lucas mutters from his spot on her chest. His head his nuzzled in the space right between her breasts. His upper body clings to hers, while the rest of his body lies on the bed so that he's not completely crushing her with his deadweight. He's exhausted from both the sex and the fact that it's after seven and he still hasn't caught any shuteye. He places a chaste kiss over her chest as he waits for Peyton's reply.

"Do I make you happy?" She'd been wondering about it for the last ten minutes. He knew now that he made her happy – insanely happy – but it was bugging her that Lucas hadn't repeated the same to her. Sure Karen had told her last night that Lucas was happy with her, but it wasn't quite the same as actually hearing the words come out of your new boyfriend's mouth.

He lifts his head to look up at her. "Are you kidding me?" Lucas says with a smile. "Baby you think I'd really be here right now if I wasn't happy?"

She smiled.

"Honestly if you hadn't shown up last night, I probably would have been over here at some point over the weekend trying to trick you into taking me back." He confessed. "I hated being apart."

"Why didn't you reach out then?" Peyton questioned. "I didn't hear from you all week."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You weren't exactly blowing up my phone either Peyton." He retorted.

She sighed. He was right. "I'm sorry. I guess we were both being stubborn and I was embarrassed about some of the things I said. I didn't think you'd want to see me again."

"I wanted to see you so badly. It was the only damn thing I thought about." He placed another sweet kiss over her chest. "I really am glad you came over last night."

"Well you have Brooke to thank for that. She kind of gave me the good kick in the butt I needed to go see you." Peyton admitted.

"Wow, never thought I'd be saying this out loud but thank you Brooke Davis." Lucas mused. "Thanks for not being a total selfish bitch and getting me laid this morning."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Stop it. You don't even know her." She scolded, landing a punch on his arm. "You'd really like her Luke. Brooke's always had a big heart and she's not the same girl she was in high school." The blonde added feeling the need to defend her best friend. Not many people knew the real Brooke. "And she's my best friend, you have to be nice."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Lucas said regretfully. He knew more than anyone that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, even though Brooke Davis had been a highly annoying and pretentious one during high school. But people eventually grow up, right?

Peyton took a pause, licking her lips before speaking. "Listen Lucas about last week..." They were together now, but the blonde still felt the need to apologize and clear the air. "I'm really sorry about the things I said. I overreacted and I had no right taking out that frustration on you."

"I get it." Lucas said simply. "You guys were together for a long time. You thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with him. I get it."

"I did." Peyton responded. "But I haven't thought about Jake like that in a really long time. I've been over him for months now. It was just a little jarring to hear that he wants to marry someone else who isn't me, but that doesn't mean that I want to be the girl he marries either. He's not the guy for me."

Lucas nodded at her in understanding. He couldn't personally relate since he'd never had a relationship of his own that lasted for that many years, but he understood how someone in her situation would feel hurt over it.

"And I hate that I made you feel like I wanted him more than you." She continued speaking. "I don't think I've ever wanted someone as much as I want you. I just need you to know that. I don't want him. I just want you."

His lips were on Peyton's before she could get another word out. Fuck being tired. There was this sudden rush of need that took over his senses. The fact that she wanted him above anyone else – above Jake of all people – had Lucas pouncing on her tiny body, devouring her mouth with his own, and prying her thighs apart and shoving himself inside her without warning. Peyton choked on her breath from the sudden intrusion. She had been unprepared for the act and she released a loud hiss when Lucas began moving quickly against her hips.

"Is this okay?" He questioned through a lustful daze not bothering to slow down him movements. She felt too good to stop, but he didn't want to hurt her either. Though she seemed to be responding positively as her hips began to move a little. "Should I stop?"

Peyton shook her head. It was better than okay. "Don't stop." She managed to choke out as her arousal grew. He felt warm and tight inside her, and so unbelievably good. She couldn't even properly describe it right now. It felt like her brain has switched off completely. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist and her hands were at his back, clutching tightly, her fingernails digging into his skin, no doubt leaving behind their mark. Lucas grunted in approval. His face was pressed into the crook of her neck and he picked up the pace, slamming into her fiercely. She had no idea what the hell had gotten into him so unexpectedly, but whatever it was it felt pretty fucking incredible. He wasn't taking his time or building both of them up like he had earlier – no this time he was just fucking her. Hard.

She loved it when Lucas got like this too. He was aggressive, a little possessive and took complete control of both their bodies.

She felt him raise his lips to her ear, whispering to her all the dirtiest little things his mind could come up with – and boy she did love this part and she was eating it all up. He only reserved this kind of talk for when he fucked her. When Lucas made love to her it was nothing BUT sweet nothings in her ear, but when he was plunging into her like this it was words like tight, wet, hard, fuck, and mine that escaped his lips, only furthering her arousal and need for him.

This wasn't the first time Lucas had fucked her like this and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but something was different. It just _felt_ different. It was like she was feeling every hard inch of him that was inside of her in a whole new way.

And then it suddenly dawned on her why.

"Lucas." Peyton called out to him in a throaty moan.

He could only grunt in response, still lost at the feel of her around him.

"You can't come inside me." She quickly told him. In his haste he had forgotten the condom.

"What?" He mumbled slightly coming out of his daze.

"Don't come inside of me."

Lucas came to a still instantly as it began to dawn on him too. "Shit." He cursed angrily realizing his error. He moved to pull out, but Peyton only tightened her hold around his waist, the heels of her feet digging into his ass, pushing him deeper. "We shouldn't." He began to argue. He didn't want to stop either, but Peyton wasn't on birth control. She got off it after Jake since she wasn't having sex regularly anymore – well really she wasn't having sex at all, not until Lucas that is.

"It's fine. Just pull out in time. I trust you." She reasoned. "You're clean right?" They probably should have had the STI talk a while back, but she also knew that he wouldn't keep something important like that from her if he did have something.

"Of course." He quickly replied.

"Then keep going." She begged. "You feel so incredible right now." Her heels dug further into his ass to encourage him. "Don't stop." She groaned. "I need you baby. Fuck me."

She didn't have to ask him twice. It was all Lucas needed to hear. He hooks his arms underneath hers, his hands gripping at her shoulders for support and begins pumping into her once more, fucking her relentlessly. A case of tunnel vision had taken over and the only thing he could focus on right now was burying himself even deeper inside her core and fucking her until his body completely gave out.

Nothing else mattered.

Peyton legs and arms tightened their hold around him and she pushed her hips up to meet his thrusts, trying to keep up with him as best she could. The sounds of their mutual pleasure filled up the room. It was the first time he was fucking her raw and naturally the sex had never felt this incredibly good. At the speed this was going Lucas knew he wouldn't last much longer, and he could tell by the way Peyton clung on to him for dear life, while a string of curses and moans escaped her throat that she wasn't too far behind.

So he kept it up, full speed ahead. Both of them drenched in each other's sweat by this point.

Peyton reached for one of his hands, intertwining them. She slid their hands between them and placed their linked fingers right over her bundle of nerves. They worked in tandem. Their movements both swift and effortless in getting her off. Lucas watched that lovely face contort in total pleasure as her walls clenched and she exploded all around him. The hold around his dick was so tight that he could barely move inside her. He managed to pump into her a few more time before pulling out completely, his release right around the corner. Lucas made the move to reach down to finish himself off, but Peyton quickly pushed the man flat on his back and straddled him. She kissed him quickly, her breath still low and heavy from her orgasm and then he watched her body slide down. Her delicate hand was firmly latched at the base of him and then her mouth was on him, going straight to work.

Lucas groaned loudly, thankful that Peyton had decided not to tease him. Her tongue was flat against the underside of him and her cheeks hollowed taking in as much of him as she could. His hands were gently buried in Peyton's curls as he watched her head bob up and down his rigid length, while his hips jerked forward every so often. "God baby." He came about a minute later, his hold becoming more aggressive as he held her head in place while his release spilled past her lips.

"Wow." Peyton spoke in amazement as she climbed back up and collapsed on his chest. "Just. Wow." She laughed at her inability to mumble anything remotely coherent. She still couldn't get past how amazing it had all felt.

"We're staying in bed all day." Lucas announced smugly as one of his hands landed over her ass and gripped it.

Peyton giggled. "I have to be at work in like two hours! And then I'm supposed to be moving into my new place today."

He snorted. "Call in sick." He quickly told her. "And I can move you into Brooke's tomorrow after my morning shift at the café."

Peyton sighed. Staying in bed all day with Lucas did sound pretty great. "Brooke's expecting me. She sort of has this whole 'our first night being roomies' thing planned for tonight." She was torn.

"One more day isn't gonna kill her." Lucas reasoned. "She'll understand." He added, though he could honestly care less whether or not Brooke did.

"But…"

"C'mon I've missed you. Seven whole days without you blondie. We're spending the day making up for lost time." He kissed her sweaty forehead. "Please?" He slightly whined purposefully in an attempt to look cute.

Peyton laughed at him, but she silently nodded, giving into his request. She knew Brooke would be cool with it. She was the one who had pushed them to get back together in the first place.

Lucas grinned proudly. "C'mon get up." He abruptly sat up and commanded.

Peyton frown. "What happened to staying in bed all day?" She said incredulously.

"Sure, after we shower." He replied smugly.

The blonde rolled eyes. "You go ahead. I'm going to sleep." She could shower later in the morning. She was so tired she could barely move her limbs. She couldn't understand how Lucas had the energy to take a shower right now.

"Nuh-uh." Lucas shook his head playfully. "I'm pretty sure you need a shower right now."

"I'm not that dirty." She teased back, trying to feign offense.

"You sure about that?" Lucas challenged. His hand disappeared between her legs, his touch forcing a throaty moan to escape past Peyton's lips. He allowed his hand to linger there for a few moments before pulling it back. His face was smug once more. "You really like giving me head don't you?" His hand was covered with her arousal.

Peyton blushed. "It's not that…" She said shyly, slapping him away.

Lucas' face dropped in a sulky manner.

She laughed out loud at his reaction. "No I mean I like doing that for you, I do. I enjoy it." She backtracked. "But it's more about the act of getting you off then the how. I just love doing that. It really turns me on when I get you off."

That smug look returned across his features and Lucas puffed his chest out slightly.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Oh god." She muttered unimpressed. "I should have never told you that. Your head can't possibly handle a bigger ego." She quipped.

Lucas laughed. He grabbed her face, kissing her deeply. "Baby no one gets me off the way you do." He grinned happily. The compliment had her blushing again. Lucas stood off the bed and Peyton released a yelp when he picked her up effortlessly, tossing her over his shoulder like a ragdoll. "Now let's go take that shower!" He announced excitedly as he proceeded to smack his girlfriend's butt and carry her into the shower.

* * *

Well there you have it (past) Leyton is back together and official! Hoped you enjoyed it!

Also shameless plug here, but I've got a new Leyton story for you guys to enjoy! It's called ' **Under The Same Roof** ' and I'm really excited about this one guys, so please check it out if you haven't already! It's another AU, actually even more AU then this story since I'm keeping very few elements from OTH canon. This story is really different from this one, there's some angst/drama attached, but it's less intense than Strangers. It's lighter, a bit more humorous, and Lucas and Peyton's personalities are a bit different this time, but it works for the story. Anyway if you have a moment to spare please go read and let me know what you think! I'm hoping there's enough interest for me to continue it.

Once again thanks everyone!

Until next time.


	27. Touch And Go

Reviews

 **trngmy** – Was that the last chapter?! No not at all, we've still got awhile before this story is over. Welcome and thank you for reading and supporting this story!

 **Chilarie07** – I myself am looking forward to writing present day Leyton getting more intimate.

 **snicolett230** – Welcome new reader! Happy to have you along for the ride!

 **E** – No sorry about that! I had deleted something and I didn't realize it would mark the story as being newly updated. Sorry for the tease, but I've got your new chapter right here!

 **Annie** – As always happy to hear that you loved the update.

 **Mia** – Yes it is hope for all of us! And thank you for taking the time to check out my new fic, highly appreciated!

 **S. Jamedra** – I love that you love reading the flashbacks as much as I love writing them. Thanks so much for your kind words and support. You guys are what keep me motivated to continue writing and sharing and I really can't thank you all enough.

 **Tpassions** – Yea the ball was definitely in Peyton's court. She needed to decide and make the first move with Lucas – I wouldn't have had it any other way. I can't thoroughly answer all of your awesome questions because I don't wanna give too much away, but here are the deets I can share: 1. Leyton should be back in Tree Hill by chapter 28 or 29. 2. Naley's issues are unresolved and will be revisted once we're back in Tree Hill. 3. Karen and Lily no longer live in Tree Hill, they left the house to Lucas and are traveling the world with Andy just like on the show. 4. Dan is in prison. Just like on the show he killed Keith and turned himself in. 5. In this story there is no brother Derrick and hence no psycho Derrick either. As for Peyton seeing a therapist you'll have to wait and see. Also thanks so much for reading my new fic!

 **jordana60** – LOL, I swear! Though I've read more than my fair share of smut I have never taken a stab at writing it before this story, and boy is it tough to write. That section of the last chapter took me the longest to write and was edited the heaviest. So I'm super happy you and others found it enjoyable. It really is sad that Lucas has all these special moments to hold on to and Peyton can only rely on the new memories they've made together. I don't know if you're very familiar with The Vow (which is the movie this story is loosely based off), but the movie itself is loosely based off a book of a real couple, who this happened to. This guy's wife lost her memory and they essentially had to fall back in love. I can't even begin to imagine the struggles that couple had to go through. Super heartbreaking and amazing at the same time that they were able to work it out and fall back in love (his wife never regained her memories).

 **Daydreamerdb** – Glad you had all the feels! Lol

 **Mufc87** – Happy you loved how Leyton got back together and that you enjoyed the smut!

 **Guest** – Glad you found that last chapter to be hot!

* * *

Hey everyone, hope your week is off to a great start! The last chapter seemed to be pretty popular with everyone, the number of views on it alone has far surpassed even older chapters. So crazy! I guess sex sells huh? lol

Chapter Track: 'Touch And Go' by Ed Sheeran

* * *

Chapter 27: Touch And Go

"Thanks again for picking us up guys. We appreciate it." Lucas spoke from the backseat of the car.

Peyton had remained at the hospital for a few hours before they finally released her. As promised, Brooke and Julian had arrived in their car to pick them up.

"Of course." Julian replied, his eyes still on the road looking at the traffic ahead. "We're happy to help in any way we can."

"Should we get some food?" Brooke suggested from the front passenger seat. Her hand falling over her pregnant belly. "I'm starving."

Julian chuckled. "You're always starving." He teased.

"Well I AM eating for three."

"Yea you are." Julian spoke, a tiny smile curving over his lips. He removed one of his hands from the steering wheel, reaching out and covering it over the hand she had resting over her stomach.

"Don't you guys find out the sex of the twins tomorrow?" Lucas said suddenly remembering Brooke had mentioned it the other day when they had lunch together.

"Sure do." Julian replied with a grin.

"I'm so excited!" Brooke chimed in.

"Only cause she thinks she's gonna win that bet." Julian muttered as he made a left turn. "Little does she know…"

"I am going to win. " Brooke scowled over at her husband. "We're having girls for sure. A mother knows these things." She spoke complacently. "And if they know what's good for them they better be girls. I'm the one who's getting fat and hauling their adorably cute asses around for the next four and half months."

"We're having boys." Julian said simply.

Lucas laughed. "You two have a bet going on over the gender of your unborn children?"

"Yea? So?" The married couple in the front replied at the same time, while shrugging their shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Charming you two." Lucas said with a tone of amusement in his voice. "What are the stakes?"

"If I win I get daily foot rubs." Brooke announced excitedly.

Julian snorted. "Something tells me I'll be forced to do those regardless of whether I win or not."

Lucas actually cackled at that one.

Brooke scowled. "You try wearing heels all day while pregnant."

"How bout you try not wearing them at all while you're pregnant?" Julian retorted.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "What part of founder and CEO of a major fashion company do you not understand? I can't just not wear heels to work!" She replied at his preposterous statement.

"You're starting to wobble in them." Julian informed his wife. "It's like watching a baby giraffe learning to walk for the first time." He started laughing and Lucas soon joined him.

Brooke gasped and then huffed at Julian's comment.

Lucas looked on watching the couple squabble back and forth a bit envious. He and Peyton used to be just like that before all this happened. They were always playfully bickering about little things that didn't matter, and since they were quite competitive too, they'd always be engaged in some type of game or bet to see who could outsmart the other.

He missed it.

He missed the way they used to be. Sure they were pretty comfortable around each other now, but this Peyton had yet to learn all of his little idiosyncrasies and all the little things that made him tick. She had always taken great pleasure out of teasing and riling him up for the fun of it – and he actually missed it. He loved pushing her buttons as well.

Julian spoke up again breaking Lucas away from his thoughts. "Anyway if I win, Brooke has to sit through all the Star Wars movies with me."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Lucas mused.

"Not if you're Brooke Davis." The brunette grumbled in her seat unapologetically. She could NOT lose this bet. She had zero interest in watching six movies about boys and their space toys. "Anyway…back to the food." Brooke said turning her head to face the backseat. "You guys in? We can pick up something and take it back to your place?" She suggested.

Lucas nodded. "I could eat." He turned to Peyton, who had kept quiet for most of the car ride. "Peyt?"

"Sure." The blonde agreed even though she really wasn't in the mood to be entertaining guests right now. She kind of wished Julian and Brooke would just drop them off at home and leave. She just wanted to be home in bed alone with Lucas. Peyton didn't feel like sharing him right now. She wanted all his attention focused solely on her. But of course she couldn't stay that out loud. That would be rude.

Peyton felt Lucas nudge her side. "Huh?" She snapped out of her selfish thoughts, giving him her attention.

"Is Chinese okay?" He repeated the question he'd asked while she had been zoning out.

"Um yea that's fine." She replied with little emotion.

He frowned in concern. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm just a little tired that's all." She replied giving him weak smile to let him know she'd be fine.

Lucas brushed back her hair and placed a kiss at the top of her forehead.

"Well it's a good thing we're getting some food then. You'll get your energy back in no time P. Sawyer!" Brooke spoke.

"Yea we really gotta get you eating again." Lucas agreed quickly going into his overprotective mode. "I'll order the food online and have it delivered instead of us picking it up. It'll be faster that way." He whipped out his phone and took down everyone's food order.

* * *

Forty minutes later the four of them were seated at the kitchen table with several containers of Chinese food scattered about.

"So when do you guys fly out to Tree Hill again?" Brooke asked as she refilled her plate with seconds.

"On the twenty-second. In the evening." Lucas quickly replied. "Nate's gonna pick us up on his way back home from Charlotte." He added. "Wait, what are your plans? You two are coming back home for the holidays too right?"

"Not for Christmas." Julian replied. "We're going to LA to spend it with my family this year."

"We'll be there for Nathan's New Years' Eve party though." Brooke promised. "There's no way in hell I would miss that." She said with a grin. "All of Nate's hot teammates dressed up in suits? I'm looking forward to the eye candy."

Julian rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You are married you know and not to mention pregnant."

"Oh please like I haven't seen you ogle the cheerleaders." Brooke snorted.

"I don't ogle." Julian defended.

"No that's right you just stare at them with this stupid look on your face." Brooke went on to imitate the exact look she was referring to as she dumbly stared at her husband with her mouth slightly ajar.

Lucas and Peyton laughed loudly. Julian gave his wife a displeased frown.

"Peyton wait til you get a look at these guys." Brooke said gleefully.

"Um she won't be looking at anyone thank you very much." Lucas quickly cut in making Brooke giggle.

"Probably for the best." Brooke replied. "More to go around for me." She teased as she rubbed Julian's shoulder.

Peyton shrugged as she silently pushed the food around on her plate with her fork. Her appetite hadn't returned and she could tell that Lucas wasn't happy that she had barely touched her food.

"So speaking of Tree Hill actually…" Brooke began, sending her husband a quick smile. "Funny thing is that we're actually thinking about moving back there soon."

"Well not really thinking about it, more like we actually are moving back. Soon-ish." Julian corrected.

"Wow really?" Lucas questioned in surprised.

Peyton looked up from her food.

Brooke nodded. "Yea I mean we've been talking about it since I got pregnant. We love New York, but neither of us want to raise the twins in the city. We still have the beach house there so it just makes sense to move back. The only reason I moved back to New York in the first place was because Tree Hill isn't exactly booming with filming opportunities for Julian. New York was a better fit at the time." The brunette explained.

"Wait so are you not gonna produce and direct anymore?" Lucas wondered.

"I will. I still have some projects to wrap up in LA before the twins get here, but after that I'll take a little break until we get settled with the kids and then I'll go back to work. Georgia's kind of the place to be now anyway, so I should be able to find some gigs down there and I can just fly back and forth. That's the plan." Julian explained.

"When are you guys leaving?" Peyton asked unsure how to take the news. Brooke was the only person she really knew in this city. She didn't know how to feel about her best friend's departure. She wasn't exactly mad – she understood the reasoning behind it – but she wasn't exactly thrilled with the news either. She felt torn, however she kept her face neutral as she spoke not wanting to make a big fuss or anything.

"Not anytime soon P." Brooke reassured her. "I mean there's still a bunch of loose ends to tie up work wise before we go, and then of course we gotta pack up the apartment, get movers, and we're still deciding on whether or not to lease out the apartment…there's a lot of shit to do."

"Wow…well we're really gonna miss you guys." Lucas told them. "It's not gonna be the same without you here."

"We're really gonna miss you guys too." Brooke said with a sad smile.

* * *

"Hey is Peyton alright?" Brooke had pulled Lucas aside last minute just as Julian and her were getting ready to head out. "She really hasn't said much since we picked her up from the hospital." She pointed out noticing how detached the blonde appeared to be this entire afternoon.

Lucas shrugged. "I'm not really sure, but if I had to guess, she's probably still pretty freaked out about how sick she got last night. She was pretty shaken up when she woke up this morning. She was terrified something was wrong with her head again – hell we all were. I think she's still upset over it…still processing. I think she just needs a few days."

Brooke nodded. "And are you two okay or…?"

"We will be. Eventually." Lucas sighed. "Honestly I'm just thankful she's okay. We'll figure out the rest later. I just want to focus on getting her healthy again."

The brunette nodded once more. "We better get going. I'll check in with you guys in a few days. Call us if you need anything and I mean ANYTHING."

"Thank you Cheery."

"Always. Love you Broody."

"Love you too."

* * *

After Brooke and Julian had left, Lucas tried to get Peyton to eat something else. She had barely touched any of the Chinese food they had ordered. He didn't have much luck. Peyton complained that she just couldn't stomach anything at the moment. She was tired and just wanted to go to bed. He conceded not wanting to upset her any further. He then allowed her to drag him into bed, where she instantly wrapped herself around him. Lucas held Peyton in his arms until she fell asleep. Eventually he slipped quietly out the room and left her sleeping.

Lucas headed back to the kitchen first to tidy up the mess left behind from this afternoon. After cleaning up the kitchen he retired into the living room, silently sitting on the couch for quite a while. He was hunched over, his elbows propped up over his thighs, while his face was buried in his hands. He was contemplating everything he had discussed with Dr. Parker this morning at the hospital. He was worried. He was really worried.

Looking back on it now, he really wished he had pushed Peyton for more info when she had first mentioned the doctor's suggestion for therapy. It wasn't like he had been against it, but in truth he never thought someone like Peyton really needed it. His wife was tough and she had been through a lot of pretty shitty things in her life, but she had always managed to come out stronger. But then again he was thinking about how the way things used to be and not the reality of how things really are now. Peyton's mind had been affected by the accident and it was becoming clearer to him that she wasn't able to handle things in the same way. Lucas scolded himself for not being more vigilant. He should have been more observant. He should have picked up on things – as little as they were. But instead he'd been too preoccupied with getting his life with Peyton back on track that he failed to notice her mood shifts and behavior – they didn't seem so significant at the time. He had just chalked it up to her being her usual stubborn self.

Now he couldn't help but wonder if Peyton was even happy at all. She'd always been very good at masking her emotions if need be. She could have very well been pretending this whole time as a means of coping with the situation. What if she was miserable? He hoped that wasn't true and he didn't think so either. In-between all the hardship they had been through together these past two months, there were still moments where Peyton was still his Peyton, and she seemed happy and content. He had caught glimpses of her old self and that familiar little twinkle that would appear in her eyes when she was in high spirits. It was there. He had seen it before it had all turned to shit their last night in LA. Peyton clearly had some issues that needed dealing with, but she wasn't completely hopeless.

Now all Lucas had to do was make sure that little bit of hope wasn't crushed by the weight of whatever it was that was damaging his wife.

A couple of hours later he was crawling back into bed. When she felt the bed dip from his weight, Peyton rolled onto her other side to face him.

"Where'd you go?" She inquired sleepily. "I woke up and you weren't there."

"Sorry. I wasn't sleepy so I finished cleaning up the kitchen." He explained. "Go back to sleep." He instructed in a whisper.

Peyton yawned loudly. "I sleep better when you're here." She told him before tucking herself into his side and dozing off.

* * *

The next morning Peyton was sitting at the kitchen table. She had both arms propped up over the table, her face resting in between her fists as she watched Lucas prepare breakfast. She smiled slightly thinking of how well he took care of her. She was lucky – not many men knew their way around a kitchen. Then again with her cooking skills poor guy didn't really have much a choice, but Peyton knew that growing up in his mom's café had probably played its part as well.

Lucas approached the table placing in front of her a plate of blueberry pancakes stacked high.

Peyton grinned up at him for making her absolute favorite breakfast food. "These look great." She commented eyeing the plate and taking a big whiff of the stack of fluffy, golden-brown pancakes Lucas had made. "Smells delicious too, thank you. Pass me a plate will you?" She picked up her fork in anticipation.

"This is your plate." Lucas informed Peyton.

Peyton whipped her head in his direction. "Aren't we sharing this?" She said eyeing him warily.

"Nope. I already have my plate." He replied.

"Lucas I love your pancakes, but there's no way I can eat all this. It's too much." She complained to him. For as skinny as she was, she could hold a fair amount of food, but this was just plain ridiculous. It was too much food, even for two people.

"Doctor says we have to get your appetite up. You have to start eating well." Lucas said frankly, practically sounding mom-like.

Peyton scoffed. "Well yea…but this is enough food to feed a horse. Don't you think you're going just a tad bit overboard here?"

"Would you just humor me please?" He requested. "I'm not having you get sick like that again Peyt. Not on my watch." He passed her the syrup.

Peyton blew out a breath. No doubt he must have been terrified out of his mind when she had passed out in his arms. "Fine." She mumbled before digging in. "But don't expect me being able to eat like this every day." She told him with a mouth full of food.

"We'll see…" He said casually as he went to grab his own plate.

* * *

A few days later Peyton seemed to be in better spirits. She seemed to be slowly getting out of her funk and Lucas encouraged her to get out of the house for some fresh air. She had been refusing to leave the house lately, opting to stay at home in her PJs and binge watch _Game of Thrones_ on their couch. He was being a worrywart yet again and suggested that she take up Brooke on her lunch offer. The brunette had called two days ago asking Peyton out for lunch, but the blonde had turned her down. Peyton reluctantly agreed wanting to please Lucas even though she would have preferred to stay at home with him. When she suggested that he join them, Lucas told her he'd stay home to work on his novel instead, much to her annoyance. She couldn't understand why he would rather work on his book than go out with her. However she decided not to fight him on it, the last thing they need was to get into another stupid argument. Peyton had zero desire for them to return to nonspeaking terms.

So she called up Brooke, got dressed and headed downtown to meet up with her for a long lunch. They'd had a nice lunch at Eataly, a large Italian marketplace located in the Flatiron district. Brooke had taken the rest of the day off from work, so after lunch they walked around and did a bit of window shopping, neither of them in the mood to actually try on any clothes today – which considering she was with Brooke was completely unheard of.

During the middle of their aimless wandering Peyton quickly ducked into Brooks Brothers. Since she was going to be in the area, Lucas had asked her to pick up a suit he had purchased awhile ago that had been backordered and it had finally arrived. He had already called the store ahead to let them know she'd be picking it up.

Peyton walked straight up to the front register. "Hi I'm picking up a package, should be under Peyton Sawyer."

The woman at the register checked behind the counter. "You mean Peyton Scott?" The woman spoke as she read the name that was scribbled across a piece of paper that had been stapled to the shopping bag.

"Uh yea that's me." Peyton said quickly and nodded.

The woman sent her a skeptic look, slightly pulling back the shopping back from Peyton's grasp.

Peyton discreetly rolled her eyes. "You know I just forget sometimes that I'm married now." She explained to the employee putting on a fake smile.

"Oh you're a newlywed?" The woman's eyes lit up. "Still getting used to the name I see? That's sweet." She teased and handed over the bag.

Peyton feigned a chuckle, playing along. "Yea something like that…" She muttered accepting the bag. "Thanks." She waved the woman off and rejoined Brooke, who was waiting for her outside of the store.

"Wanna get some hot chocolate to warm up a bit?" Brooke suggested as she rubbed her gloved covered hands together. Despite the clear skies and sunshine it was still particularly bitter out today.

"Sounds good to me." Peyton agreed as she put her hands to her rosy cheeks that had turned slightly numb from the cold weather.

"There's this adorable little café down the corner. Let's go there."

Peyton nodded and allowed Brooke to lead the way.

Ten minutes later they were seated in a small cozy couch tucked in one of the corners of the café chatting, each of them holding a giant mug of thick steaming hot chocolate.

"Are you Davis or Baker?" Peyton asked suddenly shifting the topic of conversation.

"Huh?" Brooke replied not understanding.

"Do you still go by Brooke Davis or is it Baker now?" Peyton clarified. Her encounter with the sales woman at Brooks Brothers had made the wheels in her head turn.

"Oh." Brooke nodded now getting it. "Well legally I'm Brooke Baker now, but professionally I still go by Davis. The name 'Brooke Davis' is kind of a brand name at this point – I actually have it trademarked – so it's just makes sense for me to keep using my maiden name businesswise." The brunette explained. "That's a really rando question by the way." She added as she wondered where the sudden interest had come from.

Peyton ignored the last part, asking another question in return. "Why bother changing your name at all then if you knew you were still gonna go by Davis?"

Brooke shrugged. "I dunno…I guess it's because I love my husband and I really wanted to take his name, even if it's just for us two and not for the rest of the world to acknowledge. Julian didn't ask me or anything. I did it because I wanted to and I think it's kind of romantic. Why are you asking me this?"

"I didn't do that." Peyton stated looking at Brooke to confirm this. She had been flipping through some of their mail the other day and noticed that all her letters were addressed to Peyton Sawyer. Sometimes Lucas had affectionately called her Peyton Sawyer-Scott or Mrs. Scott, but it didn't appear like she had actually taken his name. At least not in any paper work she had seen.

Brooke paused. "No…you did not." She spoke cautiously a bit wary of where this conversation was heading.

"Do you know why? I mean if me and Luke were so much in love like everyone says then why wouldn't I have taken his name?"

Brooke blew out a breath. "I'm pretty sure you kept it the same for professional reasons like I still use Davis. By the time you and Lucas got married, you were really starting to make a name for yourself in the music industry and you just wanted to keep things consistent." The brunette took a long sip of her hot chocolate. This really was the last thing she had been expecting as a topic of conversation.

"And Lucas didn't care? He just seems kind of traditional that way." The blonde pressed on.

"Peyton I really think you should be talking to Lucas about this." Brooke replied, starting to look visibly uncomfortable with this conversation.

Peyton's eyes narrowed. "You know something." She concluded.

"I really rather not." Brooke argued not wanting to get any further involved in this conversation. "Please don't make me."

"Tell me." Peyton insisted.

Brooke huffed, clearly displeased. "Fine." She spoke through gritted teeth. She knew Peyton would only continue to pester her until she caved. "Now don't quote me on this or anything because I don't know what exactly was said, but Haley might have alluded to once, years ago, that Lucas might have been a little disappointed that you hadn't taken his name." The brunette winced, unhappy with herself that she had just shared that particular piece of gossip. "You never knew that of course, BUT I DO KNOW that you were eventually planning on changing it legally to surprise Luke for your one year anniversary, but then your dad got sick, and after he passed you just never got around to it. I don't think you had the heart to change it after that to be honest." Peyton didn't have any other family. She was the last Sawyer left.

Peyton remained silent.

"Oh." She eventually spoke.

"Peyton, why the sudden interest in all this?"

"I should change my last name to Scott." Peyton quickly proposed the idea.

Brooke frowned. "Why would you do that?" She asked not really believing that her friend was being serious.

"It'll make Lucas happy." Peyton defended. "I just want him to be pleased with me. I want to please him."

Brooke snorted. "Please him?" Her hazel eyes narrowed down at her friend and laughed. "Last time I checked this wasn't the 50s and you're not some submissive Stepford wife. Lucas doesn't expect you to do anything you don't want to do. Why are you being so weird?" She demanded.

Peyton huffed. "You just don't understand that's all." She said dismissively. "I have to try harder with Lucas or I'm going to lose him." She snapped.

Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Okay, calm down. Sweetie I get that you want to do some type of grand gesture to show your husband that you want this to work out, but I don't think changing your name is going to accomplish what you think it will. It's not the right answer, you two are just not there yet. You most certainly aren't Peyton, and hey if down the line you want to change your last name to Scott that's wonderful, but don't do it for the sake of thinking it will make Lucas happy. He's a smart guy. He's going to figure it out. And then how do you think he'll feel when he finds out that the only reason you changed it was because you thought it would make him happy and not because you really wanted to take his name? Find another way Peyton. There are plenty of other ways you can show Lucas that you're in this with him."

Peyton shook her head. "No I think this will really work." She began to argue. "It's romantic like you said."

"Peyton." Brooke spoke firmly. "Trust me on this. Right now I know Lucas better than you do. Please just find another way. Even just having a simple honest conversation with him will go a long way. It will be enough I promise you." The brunette urged.

"All we do is talk. I just want to do something more…I dunno if words are enough this time around. I really messed up." Neither of them had brought up LA yet. She was afraid too. She didn't want to stir up any negative feelings. That fight had burnt both of them pretty badly, but Lucas had sustained the worse of it.

Brooke immediately laughed. "Are you kidding me? This is Lucas we're talking about. Your author husband. All he is… _is_ words." She smiled at her friend. ""All you have to do is be with him. You don't need the grand gesture. All he needs to see is you trying to make this work, that's it."

Peyton sighed. "When we had the fight in LA, he walked out on me Brooke. He just left in the middle of the night and didn't turn up until the next morning. And in between all those hours of waiting I kept thinking that he had left me and he wasn't coming back."

"But he did come back Peyton." Brooke readily pointed.

"To get ready for our flight. He didn't come back for me." The blonde said sadly.

Brooke didn't know what to say.

"I have to keep him happy Brooke. I don't care what Lucas wants, I'll do it. If I don't get my act together then the next time he walks out on me it'll be for good. He'll leave and he won't come back." Peyton shook her head sadly. "I'm not stupid. Just because I got sick doesn't erase the fact that he's unhappy with me. We both said a lot of pretty terrible things during that last night in LA."

Brooke set down her mug. She flung herself on Peyton, wrapping her into a tight hug. "Talk to him. He loves you." The brunette whispered. "I'm not saying that it won't take time for you both to heal from this, but you gotta start somewhere."

"Why are you crying?" Peyton said noticing Brooke's tear-stained face when they broke apart from the hug. She glanced over at Brooke in concern.

Brooke sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. "Well one…hormones." She replied slightly chuckling. "And two…well it just really breaks my heart to hear you say things like that. I want good things for you and Luke. But most of all I just want my best friend to get her old life back. It's just not fair. I hate what was taken away from you."

"God now you're gonna make me cry." Peyton spoke through a teary laugh. "I know this is totally selfish of me to say, but I really don't want you to go." The blonde blurted out unexpectedly. She didn't know if she could do this without having her best friend nearby.

"I know." Brooke said quietly. "But I have to and I want to. I'm excited Peyton. I'm starting a family. A real family. It's all I've ever wanted." The brunette never had a real family growing up, her parents were always away and so her friends had become her family, but now with Julian, Brooke was finally getting that real family life she had always craved.

Peyton slowly nodded. "I know." She spoke softly. She leaned over resting her head over Brooke's left shoulder. "I'm happy for you."

* * *

That night Peyton was neatly tucked into Lucas' side. Her head was resting on his shoulder and she had a hand over his chest, while his arms were wrapped around her waist. During the past few days bedtime had become her favorite part of the day. She felt safe and comfortable in Lucas' arms – not to mention it was the time of the day when Lucas was most affectionate with her. He'd hold her close and tight, like he was afraid she would slip away. She would feel the steady rise of his chest pressed against her skin and it would lull her right to sleep.

During the day things were a little different. He wasn't keeping his distance or anything – in fact most of the time he was hovering over her, making sure that she was eating properly and taking it easy. Conversations between them weren't strained either. The two of them were getting along just fine.

Lucas was however holding back.

For as faithfully as he held her every single night in bed, the rest of his touches were seldom and not as intimate. Sometimes he'd supportively squeeze her shoulder or hand, but it was always quick and his hand never lingered for long. Every now and then some words of affection would slip past his lips. He'd call her babe, baby or sweetheart, and that was always nice. Other times he'd play it safe, where he'd only smile down at her or send her a wink when she needed the reassurance. He hadn't held her hand since the hospital. Even more disappointing was that he hadn't kissed her at all. Not once. The last time Lucas had really kissed her had been in LA. Now he'd place a kiss over her forehead sometimes and there had been one night in bed where he had pressed a chaste kiss over lips. His lips never moved. They had remained still and pressed up against hers for the briefest of seconds before he pulled away and tucked her head under his chin. But in her opinion that didn't count. She wanted Lucas to really kiss her like he had countless times before. She hadn't dared made a move, afraid of being rejected.

He was being extra careful around her.

And Peyton couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want to overwhelm her or was it because he was still hurting. She could only guess that it was probably a combination of both. On the bright side, Lucas had moved all of his things back into their bedroom and was no longer sleeping on the couch.

"Lucas." Peyton softly called his name in the darkness of their room.

"What's up?" Lucas mumbled in a drowsy state. He had just been drifting off to sleep.

"I want to talk about LA." She quietly replied.

Lucas slightly shifted, feeling more awake now. "I don't care about that." He said about her proposed topic of discussion.

"Yes you do." The blonde retorted not believing it for a second that he didn't care. Had she never gotten sick a few days ago, he probably would still not be speaking to her now.

"Not right now I don't." He replied dismissively. He had put aside his feelings over their fight for the time being because her wellbeing was far more important to him.

"Don't pretend it's not important when it is."

"I never said it wasn't." Lucas blew out a breath. "It's just that you taking better care of yourself is more important right now. I rather focus on that. We can revisit that conversation at another time."

"Well I rather focus on us now." Peyton argued. "I'm going to take better care of myself Lucas. I already know what I need to do, but what I don't know is where we stand and honestly it's driving me crazy. I want this to work. I need this to work."

"It will Peyton. We'll make it work, I promise. It's just going to take some time to figure things out." Lucas tried to assure her.

"Tell me how then." She urged him for answers, tears filling her eyes. "How do I fix this? Tell me what I need to do to make you happy. I'll do whatever you want." She begged for Lucas to give her a hint, anything. "I want us to be together."

"We are together sweetheart."

"No, like before. I want it to be like before." Things needed to be like before she had opened her big fat mouth and screwed everything up. "What do I need to do Lucas? Just tell me."

"I don't know okay!" Her incessant urging had Lucas blurting out his words harshly. He blew out a breath as he regained his composure. One of his hands left her waist to go rub his temple as he tried to ease his frustrations. Lucas took in a deep breath. "I don't know." He repeated calmly this time. "I wish I had the answers Peyt, but I don't." He answered honestly. "I feel just as stuck as you do. This isn't easy for me."

"Because I hurt you." She deduced. She felt her throat tighten.

"Yes." Lucas admitted.

Peyton bit down at her bottom lip trying to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered tearfully, a sob escaping from her throat.

"You don't have to keep apologizing Peyton. It's fine."

Peyton blew out a breath. "But you don't believe me, do you?" She rolled away from Lucas and sat up. She couldn't have this conversation laying down so close to him.

Lucas followed suit and sat up as well. Neither of them made the move to switch on the light. For some reason speaking in total darkness made facing each other slightly easier, because this conversation sure wasn't.

He sighed. "It's not that I don't believe you Peyton. It's just that…my trust in you and our relationship is broken right now and it's not gonna repair itself overnight. It's just something that we'll have to work on together. It's gonna take time. I need more time. I want to forgive you and move forward, I really do, but I'm just not ready yet. If I told you right now that I forgive you for everything…it would be an empty promise. And I don't want to do that. I don't wanna lie to you. It doesn't mean I don't love you though, okay? And it doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you."

Peyton swallowed thickly. "Then I'll wait for however long it takes for you to forgive me. I can do that. I'll wait for you." She didn't care how long it would take for Lucas to fully forgive her. She was willing to wait and do whatever it took to win him back.

"Thank you." He spoke softly.

"Lucas I am sorry for what I said that night."

Lucas found her hand in the dark and squeezed it. "I know you are baby." He said tenderly.

"I regret every single word. I hate myself for hurting you like that."

Lucas sighed. "I'm sorry too – maybe not for everything I said, but some of the things I said I could have handled it better." He admitted. "What I said about Jake leaving you for Nicki – that was a low blow. I know the situation was more complicated than that. I shouldn't have said that and I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." Peyton told him quietly. "And I'm sorry for slapping you."

Lucas chuckled. "I kind of deserved it after that comment."

"No you didn't." She said quickly. "It was childish."

"It's in the past." He told her. "Don't worry about it anymore. Let's just get some sleep okay? It's getting late."

"Okay." Peyton replied as she felt Lucas lay back down. She did the same, returning to her spot beside him. His arms were around her waist once more.

Lucas pressed his lips over her forehead. "You know all that stuff you said about wishing we'd known each other in high school?" He mumbled over her skin.

"Yes. What about it?"

"Did you mean it?"

"I did." The blonde confirmed. "I loved your book."

Lucas nodded. "I've thought about that too throughout the years." He admitted. "I think we really needed each other back then even if we didn't know it at the time."

"I think so too." Peyton sighed feeling satisfied over his words. "I still need you now though." She spoke after a pause.

Peyton could feel his lips turn up against her forehead.

"I still need you too." Lucas said quietly.

Now it was her turn to smile.

* * *

So Peyton's emotions are a little all over the place in this chapter. She's struggling and it's starting to become a lot more obvious to everyone else.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Your feedback always puts a smile on my face.

Also if you haven't yet, check out my newest OTH story **Under The Same** **Roof**.I promise you guys it's gonna be a good one! Chapter 2 is up now!

Until next time.


	28. Not Quite Myself These Days

Reviews

 **Talz** – Your observations are quite correct. Peyton's still exhibiting some out of character behavior and that will be explored in this chapter. Leyton back in Tree Hill will officially kick off in the next chapter and we'll be there for awhile.

 **Tpassions** – Peyton and Jake are not friends. They have not seen or spoken to each other since their college graduation. That was mentioned in chapter 9 when Brooke explained why they broke up. THANK YOU for reading these stories!

 **B** – Tree Hill chapters began in the next chapter!

 **S. Jamedra** – You cried?! Awww! But yes that was a pretty difficult talk for them, but it needed to happen. Lucas can't exactly forgive and forget, and Peyton needs to accept that it's going to take time for them to be whole once more.

 **thibbs65** – I too am a huge fan of Breyton's friendship. Total friendship goals right?

* * *

Chapter 28: Not Quite Myself These Days

Peyton poked her head from behind the door, lightly rapping against it with her fist to get his attention.

Lucas looked up from his computer and smiled in her direction. "Thought I heard you come home. How did it go?"

"Okay I guess." Peyton replied in a monotone voice as she dragged her feet into Lucas' office.

"Just okay?" He teased lightly.

Peyton shrugged when she reached his desk.

"Come here." He tugged her forward by the hem of her shirt until she was sitting in his lap. "Talk to me." He had one hand resting behind her back and the other on her thigh.

Peyton sighed loudly. "I thought I would feel better, but I don't. In fact I just feel worse." She admitted. "I didn't talk much. I sort of just stared at her the whole time. I didn't think it would be this hard."

Last week Lucas had approached Peyton about seeing a therapist and she had agreed.

* * *

" _Hey can I talk to you about something?"_

" _Sure, just give me a sec." Peyton said as she poured herself a cup of coffee before joining him at the kitchen table. "So what do you want to talk about?" She wondered._

 _Lucas took a deep breath. "I need you to do something for me."_

" _Anything." She replied quickly, eager to please. Whatever he wanted she would do, she had already told him that._

" _I mean you know how last night we were talking about LA and you asked me if there was anything you could do…because I guess there is something you could do and…well I mean not just for me…but for you too...it's really something for you not me…"_

" _Lucas just spit it out."_

 _He chuckled. "Sorry." He replied shaking his head. He didn't know why he was rambling so much. "I'm worried about you Peyton." He said finally._

" _I'm taking better care of myself you know that. I'm eating well and I've been taking it easy just like the doctor said –"_

" _No I don't mean that." He interrupted. "I'm worried about…how you're really feeling." He spoke choosing his words carefully._

" _I feel fine. I'm not tired all the time like I was before."_

" _I don't mean physically." Lucas sighed. "I mean…emotionally."_

 _Peyton frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say Lucas?"She questioned starting to get defensive. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat._

 _He blew out a breath. It was a delicate subject and he was trying his best not to upset her. "Remember how Dr. Parker suggested you see a therapist and we kind of brushed it off?" He said finally after a long pause of trying to get his thoughts together._

 _Peyton nodded._

" _Well I'm beginning to think that maybe he was right. That it might be a good idea after all."_

 _Peyton swallowed hard. "You think something's wrong with me? Like I'm crazy or something?" She spoke her voice cracking a little._

" _What? No of course not." Lucas quickly reassured her. "That's not what I'm trying to say at all." He defended. "I'm just worried about you Peyt. I've just been noticing how detached you seem sometimes and your moods fluctuate…a lot. You're happy, and then you're upset, or angry, or sad, or distant."_

" _So what you're really saying is that you think I'm unstable." She said with a hurt look on her face._

" _Hey that's not it at all." He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "I'm just worried. I don't know how you're really feeling most of the time, and if you can't talk to me about it then maybe talking to someone else will help you sort out your feelings better. I know how overwhelmed you get sometimes baby. It's a lot…everything we've been through…everything you've been through, it's a lot. I'm just looking out for you that's all. I feel like you're keeping everything in most of the time."_

" _I…I dunno Lucas…I don't know how I feel about talking to some stranger. It sounds uncomfortable." She huffed. "I'm not okay with that."_

" _I'm just asking you to consider it Peyton. Just think about it at least, please? For me? Can you honestly tell me that you're in control of your emotions one hundred percent of the time?" He challenged._

" _Is anyone really?" She shot back._

" _Hey I'm not trying to start an argument here. This is hundred percent your call. I'm just trying to be honest so we can communicate more openly."_

 _Peyton's face softened. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry." She spoke once she realized that he wasn't attacking her._

" _You don't have to apologize Peyton. You haven't done anything wrong, we're just talking here." He reminded her. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Lucas that she was constantly delivering apologies these days. Somehow Peyton had convinced herself that she was always at fault. Gone was his fiercely independent and smart-mouthed girl. Peyton's self-esteem had plummeted – yet another thing that greatly worried him._

 _Peyton blew out a breath. "Okay so maybe I've been upset and acting a little off lately…" She conceded. "…but that's because of everything that happened between us and then having to go to the hospital. I was afraid that I ruined everything between us, but now I'm okay because we're together. I'll be okay Lucas. I have you so I'm going to be okay. I'll be happy now because I have you." She rationalized trying her best to make him understand._

 _Lucas drew in a breath and released before sending a sympathetic smile her way. He was holding both of Peyton's hands now. "Peyton. I can't be the only thing in your life that brings you happiness."_

 _She wasn't in school and she wasn't working, so she didn't have much to do during the day to keep her busy – which was another thing that was beginning to trouble him. Peyton had always been such a little busybody and now all her days were lazy days, where she hung around the house and basically waited around on when he could spend time with her. When he had to work all she did was watch TV. She wasn't even sketching at all. Lucas hadn't seen Peyton pick up a pencil and draw in weeks. It wasn't healthy. She needed a hobby or to join something to pass the time and that made her feel good about herself. He hoped that therapy would be able to shake his wife out of this slump she had fallen into._

 _Peyton frowned. "What do you mean?"_

 _He sighed. "I mean that I can't be the only thing that fulfills your life. For instance, you are an important part of my life, but there are other things that make me happy too. Things that I look forward to doing like reading, writing, basketball, spending time with my friends and family, taking road trips…just stuff like that." Lucas replied. "You have all these things too that you love and bring fulfillment into your life. You have your art, music, your niece and nephew – you're absolutely crazy about them – and your love for rainy days, and discovering new ice cream flavors, and beating me at video games…there's so many silly things like that, that make you smile. And I know most of these things you'll have to rediscover because you don't remember, but…I just want to see you be excited about things again. I love that I'm always the one that's able to make you smile, and you've always been the best part of my day, just like I know I've always been the best part of yours, but I can't be the only thing you look forward to everyday sweetheart. It's not healthy. It's not who you are. It's never been who you are. There's so much more to you than just being my wife. I don't know what's really going on in that pretty head of yours. I can only speculate on how you must be really feeling and I'm most certainly not trying to tell you how to feel. But what I don't want is for you to be so overwhelmed by your own emotions that you feel like you can't even be yourself around me anymore. I just need you to be Peyton, not who you think I want you to be."_

 _The blonde swallowed thickly._

" _Does that make sense?"_

 _She nodded quickly, tears in her eyes._

" _Oh I'm sorry Peyt. I didn't mean to upset you." Lucas scooted over closer in his chair, wiping away a couple stray tears._

" _I'll go." She said quietly after a long pause had passed._

" _Really?" Lucas asked with raised eyebrows. He was completely surprised that she had agreed so quickly. He had expected her to put up more of a fight. "I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you into this." He began._

 _Peyton shook her head. "You aren't." The blonde assured him. "Truth is most days I don't even feel like myself." She softly confessed to him. "I am lost Lucas. I don't know who I'm supposed to be. What I do know is that I don't wanna be unhappy anymore. I feel like a stranger in my own body. I don't wanna feel like this anymore." She really did hate feeling this way and she had been keeping it to herself all this time. Holding on to Lucas had been her way of dealing with it. Focusing on him and their relationship allowed her to push aside the emptiness she felt growing inside of her most days. Peyton had convinced herself that focusing on Lucas would in turn fix everything else and make her feel whole again, but what if it didn't? Perhaps Lucas was on to something. It didn't hurt to try._

 _She was swiftly pulled into Lucas' arms. "I love you." He told her, his face buried in her curls._

* * *

"Why do you feel worse Peyton?" Lucas wondered.

The blonde shrugged once more. "I really don't know why. I can't explain it, but I just walked out of there feeling sad. Like I failed or something, I dunno. Everything just feels weird that's all."

"You'll keep trying though right?" Lucas questioned, his tone hopeful. He didn't want her to give up already.

She nodded. "I will. I promised you."

"It was your first session. It's bound to be intimating. It will get easier." Lucas reassured her, his hand gently stroking her back. "Don't get discouraged."

"Yeah that's what she said." Peyton said quietly. "Since we didn't get very far today she wants to see me again on Monday."

"We fly out on Monday." He reminded her.

"I know. She scheduled me in the morning. I'll be back home by noon."

Lucas nodded.

"I'm proud of you." He told her quietly. "Thank you for doing this."

She gave him a shy shrug. "I haven't done anything. I just showed up and sat there." She disagreed.

"And you think that's not a big deal?" Lucas looked into her emerald eyes giving her a soft smile. "Trust me it is. Not everyone is brave enough to go ahead and share their inner thoughts with a complete stranger. You're the strongest person I know Peyton. Don't doubt yourself okay?"

Her eyes fell to the ground, his words making her blush, but yet warming her heart at the same time. "Okay." Peyton replied bashfully.

"How's it going in here?" She nodded over at his laptop desperate to change the subject.

"Not bad. Just trying to plow through this. This new deadline my publisher has set is killing me, but I'll get it done."

Ever since his appearance at BookCon earlier this month – where he had read an excerpt of his upcoming book – there had been a lot of buzz going around and the reception had been positive. Wanting to take advantage of the growing attention, Lucas' publishing house had decided to put his novel on a fast track for publication. He was getting more money out of it, which was great, but that also meant he was on a time crunch to finish it up. It had been an endless flow of him producing pages to Lindsey and her sending them right back with her edits. He'd be happy when it was all over. Lately he had been doing most of his work early in the morning or late at night while Peyton was still sleeping not wanting to neglect her all day.

"What's your book about Luke?" Peyton questioned. She was trying to put more effort into their relationship and show that she was committed. She wanted to learn everything she could about her husband hoping that it would bring them closer and strengthen their connection. Lucas already knew everything about her and she was lagging behind. It was actually kind of embarrassing that it had taken her this long to ask him about his book.

He laughed of course realizing that they've never really talked much about his work since her accident. "Well actually this one is fiction." He replied, his hand still rubbing her back. "The first two books were personal stories, so this one is a complete 180. It's a crime thriller – a detective story following a murder case. My main character is kind of this washed-up detective that's assigned to this murder investigation and the circumstances of that case mirror the unsolved murder of his own sister twenty years ago." He explained. "It's been incredibly challenging, but I'm really loving writing this one, especially all the research. I got to interview a few detectives and kind of shadow them at work, and dig up info on all these old cold cases. It's been fun."

"Wow." Peyton said with a smile. "That's so cool."

"I hope people like it. It's a huge departure from everything else I've written, but so far people seem to be really into it."

"I'm sure they'll love it. You're a great writer Luke."

"Have you read my second book yet?" He asked curious. That was the book that basically told the whole world how much he loved Peyton. It had been an even bigger best-seller than his first book.

She shook her head. With everything going on she hadn't found the time. "Not yet, but it's on my to-do list." Peyton then smirked. "You know I heard a rumor that it's about me." She said cheekily, remembering what Brooke had told her.

"You might be mentioned once or twice." He flirted back with a wink.

Peyton chuckled as she played with her hands that sat on her lap.

"I really do need to get back to this babe." Lucas gestured over to his computer.

Peyton's face fell. "Oh I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a bother."

He held her chin between his thumb and index finger. "Hey you're never a bother. Honest." He spoke sincerely. "I just promised my editor I'd have these edits back to her by the end of the day."

Peyton nodded understanding. "That's okay. I understand."

"I'll just be another hour tops." He promised.

"Take your time. I'll just be in the living room watching TV." Peyton spoke and stood up from his lap.

Lucas pulled her back down quickly. "Hey how about I take you out tonight?" He suggested. "It'll be nice to get out of the apartment."

"Like a date?" She looked at him, her green eyes wide with excitement.

Lucas smiled. "Yea. How about dinner and a movie?" He offered. "Does that sound good?"

The blonde grinned, nodding eagerly. "I'd really like that Lucas."

"Well then it's settled. I've got a hot date tonight with my hot wife."

Peyton's cheeks warmed up slightly. "I'm gonna go find something to wear for tonight." She announced enthusiastically, removing herself from Lucas' lap to stand up once more. Lucas lightly chuckled as he watched her go. There was a slight skip in her steps.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2009**_

" _Oooh that must be them!" Brooke announced as she heard a car pull up outside the house. She swung the door open and Chase followed her outside on the porch. Peyton waved to them from inside the car._

 _Brooke watched as both Lucas and Peyton exited the truck and made their way to the back. She looked on as Lucas handed the blonde a box of her things to carry before grabbing one for himself._

" _Aren't they so cute!" Brooke gushed as her arm shot out to strike Chase in the chest. The brunette spoke with a dreamy look on her face after observing how Lucas had leaned over planting a long kiss over her best friend's lips before the couple made their way up to the house._

" _Geez." Chase complained rubbing over the spot on his chest that had been hit by the fiery brunette._

" _Hush." Brooke instructed as Lucas and Peyton approached. "Hi!" She greeted them both and skipped over to Peyton's side._

 _Peyton maneuvered the box she was holding, resting it over her hip as Brooke pulled her into a hug. "Hey." Peyton spoke through a laugh._

" _Hi Lucas, welcome!" Brooke said excitedly, taking Lucas by surprise when she pulled him into a hug as well. He nearly dropped the box in his hands._

" _Hi Brooke." He mumbled awkwardly with Brooke still firmly latched on to his body. This was only the second time they had ever spoken. It was weird._

" _Baby let go." Chase teased her. He knew how easily his girlfriend overstepped personal boundaries without even realizing it when she became overly animated._

" _Sorry." Brooke mumbled taking a step back as Peyton laughed at her. "I'm just excited Peyton's finally moving in."_

" _Finally?" Peyton teased. "You've only been on your own for like three days."_

" _Yes and now I can finally go home." Chase teased earning him another hit square in the chest._

" _Luke this is Chase, Brooke's boyfriend." Peyton spoke making the introduction._

 _Lucas juggled his box with one hand, extending the other to shake Chase's hand. "Nice to meet you man."_

" _Same here." Chase replied as they shook hands. "I gotta say man sweet ride." He let out an exaggerated whistle nodding over to the shiny black SUV truck parked out front._

" _Dude I wish." Lucas quickly replied. "It's my brother's. I'm just borrowing it for the day. This one's car is in the shop and mine is way too small to fit all her crap in."_

" _Need I remind you, you were the one who offered to move around all my supposed crap?" Peyton said feigning offense._

" _Had I known you had this much stuff I would have carefully reconsidered my offer."_

" _Dude this is nothing compared to all the crap Brooke moved in with." Chase quipped. "Consider yourself lucky."_

" _Hey!" Brooke complained sporting a pout._

 _Everyone laughed._

" _Well this box isn't getting any lighter." Peyton announced. "C'mon I'll show you my room Lucas." She playfully bumped her hip into Lucas' and led him inside._

" _Look how happy Peyton looks!" Brooke squealed after the blond couple had entered the house leaving them out on the front porch. Her hand flew out again._

" _Would you stop that?" Chase complained rubbing his chest yet again. His petite girlfriend sure could pack a punch._

 _Brooke and Chase stepped down to the truck each grabbing a box of Peyton's things and reentered the house leaving the front door wide open. Brooke could hear Peyton giggling from her room followed by what sounded like several loud smooches. "They're just so cute! Remember when we were that cute?" She spoke in a hushed tone setting the box down on the floor._

" _When did we stop being cute?" Chase questioned humoring the brunette._

" _Oh we're old news buddy. We're the overly ripe piece of fruit no one cares to play attention to anymore. We're getting stale." She shrugged._

" _I think 11 months of dating hardly makes our relationship stale Brooke." He reasoned._

 _Brooke chuckled. "I know that, but remember when we couldn't keep our hands off each other in the beginning?"_

 _Chase smiled remembering fondly. "Well yea but I mean we'd go for weeks at a time without seeing each other. It was kind of expected." He reminded her. "And anyway that was mostly lust. We've got a better thing going on now."_

" _Oh yea, what's that?" She had an eyebrow raised, her curiosity peeking through._

" _We're in love."_

 _The brunette's cheeks flushed. He was right of course. "You know I kind of love being in love with you."_

" _Ditto."_

* * *

 _It had taken most of the afternoon to unload all of Peyton's boxes and unpack the essentials. She was planning on painting the room, so she saw no point in unpacking everything and decorating her room just yet. It could wait til afterwards. When she had announced that was enough unpacking for the day, Lucas wasted no time in shutting her bedroom door and slamming her slender frame up against it. Brooke and Chase had just left, heading into town to pick up a pizza and drinks for everyone._

" _Can I sleep over tonight?" He asked as he pressed the weight of his firm body over hers. His mouth went to gently nip at her earlobe._

 _Peyton's mouth hung open releasing a silent moan. Her fingers dug into Lucas' hair, her back slightly arching as she felt his own fingers digging into her hips. "You can't." She told him regretfully. "It's just gonna be me and Brooke tonight." She reminded him._

" _I can come after you've had your girl's night. When you're going to sleep." Lucas quickly suggested, his lips still on her ear._

" _I can't do that to her." Peyton told him refusing to do so._

 _He had asked already knowing she wouldn't budge, but it had been worth a shot. "You guys aren't going to sleep in the same bed are you?" He pulled his head back to look at the blonde._

" _Maybe." Peyton teased seductively, her fingers trailing over his chest now._

 _He groaned at the mental image in his head. "Send me a picture will you?" He demanded, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively."Or at least put me on speaker phone." He growled._

 _She laughed loudly. "You are such a guy." She shrieked at him slapping his chest._

" _Nope just your guy." He softly spoke with those crystal blue eyes of his fixated on her green ones._

" _Mmmmh." Peyton mumbled appreciatively. She leaned forward her lips hovering over his. "That's kind of my favorite part about you. That your mine." She whispered to him._

" _Mine too." Lucas closed the minimal gap between their lips, pressing her back against the door once more. He kissed Peyton passionately and she felt nothing but heat on her skin the second his fingers found themselves underneath her shirt and danced all over her lower back. The swipe of his tongue against hers sending chills down her spine._

 _Peyton moaned into his mouth, when she felt Lucas' hand abandon her back and begin to fumble with the button of her jean shorts. When he finally got them open, he unzipped her shorts and pushed them down until they pooled to the ground around her ankles. He cupped her roughly, his fingers stroking back and forth over the wet material blocking her center. She moaned into his mouth again. "We don't have a lot time." She groaned against his lips as she stepped out of her shorts and kicked them aside. Brooke and Chase wouldn't be longer than twenty minutes tops._

" _Guess we'll have to make due then." Lucas whispered back. His hands cupped her ass as he lifted her up, her legs swiftly wrapping around his waist. With their lips still attached, he began walking them backwards towards the bed whilst Peyton's hands worked quickly at unbuckling his belt and jeans._

 _They fell backwards on the bed, Peyton still on top of him with one of her hands down his pants quickly stroking him. He groaned deeply from her touch, desperate for more. One of his hands gripped at the side of her underwear. He yanked it hard splitting the cotton material in two. She yelped when she felt the elastic band snap against her skin. It stung. She pulled back from his lips and pouted down at Lucas. "Hey I liked that pair." She scolded him._

" _Baby, and I mean this in the nicest way possible…shut up." He gruffed at her before delivering a slap on her ass. Her hand was still busying itself with his now hardened dick and he really didn't give a fuck about a lost pair of panties right now. One of his hands slipped between her legs, while she tugged on his jeans and boxers, sliding them down a little, freeing his throbbing member from its prison. She searched for the condom he claimed was in the pocket of his jeans. As soon as she'd located it, she was ripping the wrapper open with her teeth and quickly sheathed him. Peyton lifted her hips up and Lucas guided her back down on his length. His hands tightly gripped her thighs in anticipation. And with her palms flat across his chest and her back arched, she rode him hard and quick until they were both seeing stars._

* * *

" _So Nathan Scott is your brother right?" Chase questioned. "The basketball player."_

 _The foursome had just finished their late lunch of pizza and beer. Brooke had been smirking nonstop at Lucas and Peyton throughout the entire meal. The minute she had reentered the house she had picked up on the 'just fucked look' each of them wore. Peyton of course rolled her eyes ignoring the silent looks Brooke was sending._

 _Lucas nodded. "That would be him. You a big basketball fan?"_

" _Nah, not really. The only sport I followed growing up was skateboarding, but it's kind of hard to live in this town and not know about Nathan. I've noticed that he's kind of a legend around here." Chase explained._

" _Oh trust me he loves that." Lucas joked. Nathan was never one to turn down a good ego boost. "Are you from Tree Hill? I feel like I would have remembered you from school."_

 _Chase shook his head. "Nah my parents moved us here shortly after I finished high school. I ended up going to college at UNC-Wilmington, moved back here afterwards and just stuck around I guess."_

" _Ah a Seahawk I see. Nice!" Lucas grinned. "I'm a Tar Heel."_

" _Oh you went to UNC in Chapel Hill? Awesome. Me and my buddies used to drive up there some weekends to party. I had a few friends up there from high school."_

" _Where are you originally from then?"_

" _I grew up in Morehead City." Chase replied._

" _You fish then?"_

" _Try finding someone out there who doesn't." Chase joked. "I don't LOVE it, but I find it relaxing from time to time. My dad's really into it."_

" _Chase took me there last month. It reminds me a lot of Tree Hill." Brooke shared. "He took me scuba diving."_

 _Peyton choked on her beer. "Wait, so you're telling me, that you, Brooke Davis, went scuba diving?" She pointed a finger at Brooke not quite believing it. Brooke was kind of too girly for that kind of stuff._

 _Chase laughed. "It took a lot of convincing, but I couldn't have her visiting Morehead and not go scuba diving. It's kind of our big thing out there." He explained. "You didn't hate it right babe?" He turned over to face Brooke._

" _I must admit I wasn't crazy about the idea at first, but it turned out to be really fun." The brunette admitted._

" _There was a lot of shrieking involved." Chase added in a deadpanned tone. His face serious and wide-eyed._

" _There was a lot of seaweed!" Brooke pouted and whined in defense._

" _Wow. I'm impressed." Peyton declared. "Props to you Chase. That totally earns you a high five. You want it now or later?"_

" _Now's good." Chase jokingly replied as they leaned over and slapped hands in the air._

 _Brooke grinned absolutely loving the fact that everyone was getting along. Inside her head she was already plotting numerous double dates._

* * *

" _So the boys are getting along." Brooke mused happily._

 _Both men had already been kicked out of the house about an hour ago so the newly crowned roomies could get a start on their girl's night. Since both Chase and Lucas had the night off they decided to have their own guy's night and hit up a bar. Lucas had also invited Nathan, Skills, Mouth, Fergie and Junk to join them._

 _Peyton nodded. "Yeah seems like those two really hit it off. That's nice."_

" _Oh my god who knew living together was going to be so much fun. We should have done this years ago!"_

 _The blonde laughed._

" _I'm really glad you and Lucas were able to work things out."_

" _Me too." Peyton replied. "I'm crazy about him Brooke." She came clean. "I'm falling for him. Hard."_

" _Like that part wasn't obvious." Brooke shook her head teasingly at her friend. "What's the plan for when you get out of here?"_

 _Peyton shrugged. "It's not like I have a job lined up right now, so we haven't talked about it. We'll just have to make it work I guess. I don't wanna breakup whenever I move out of Tree Hill and I get the feeling that Lucas feels the same."_

 _Brooke nodded. "I take it the makeup sex was fantastic?" She delivered the question with an all-knowing smirk. Peyton had been vague in her text yesterday about postponing her move-in for a day and it didn't take a genius to figure out why._

 _Peyton playfully bit over her bottom lip and nodded. "He showed up at my house at like five in the morning that night and we really haven't slept much since. It's been this whole non-stop marathon of amazingness. I've never been fucked so thoroughly."_

" _Yea I thought you were walking funny." Brooke mocked. "I fucking love makeup sex." She grinned. "Sometimes it makes getting into a fight all worth it." She added with a wink. "Should we go out or stay in?"_

" _Let's stay in. I'm too sore from moving to get all dressed up." Peyton replied._

" _Not to mention from all the sex." Brooke coughed out. "I hope you two didn't fuck on my couch while we were getting the pizza."_

 _Peyton rolled her eyes in response. "I'll put on some music and you get the drinks ready?"_

" _On it!" Brooke jumped out of her seat and ran towards the kitchen. "I've got all the ingredients for frozen margaritas." She announced excitedly._

" _Perfect." It was so hot and sticky this evening so something cold and refreshing was exactly what the doctor ordered._

" _Wait!" Brooke stopped Peyton before she could head into her room to grab her records. "We have to document this!" She announced grabbed her camera off the coffee table. "Our first night in our new place."_

 _Peyton chuckled. She put an arm around her best friend as Brooke flipped the camera over and took a bunch of shots of them._

 _Peyton's phone buzzed. She grabbed it seeing that it was a new message from Lucas._

' _I miss you and those long legs wrapped around me.'_

 _Her smile was wide._

 _Knowing well that there was only one person that was making her friend smile like that these days, Brooke left her returning to the kitchen to get started on their drinks. "Get in your lovey-dovey texts now while you still can." She stated. "The second these drinks are done this will officially be a boy-free zone."_

 _Peyton muttered an okay, her eyes still glued to her phone as she quickly typed up her reply._

' _I'm still walking around here without any underwear no thanks to you.'_

 _After Lucas had ripped her underwear earlier, she had just slipped her shorts back on as soon as Brooke and Chase had returned._

 _His reply was instant._

' _I'm coming over. NOW.'_

' _Not a chance. I mean it. Go on and have fun with the guys.'_

' _Fine.'_

 _Peyton could already picture the pout of disappointment on his face. She chuckled to herself._

' _But first thing in the morning I'm coming over and you still better not be wearing underwear.'_

 _Peyton shook her head grinning at Lucas' final text before setting her phone down for the night just as Brooke reappeared with two frozen drinks in her hands._

" _Cheers roomie, to new adventures together!"_

 _Peyton took her drink and held it up. "To new adventures."_

* * *

 **New York City – December 2014**

"So tell me about life at home with your husband these days."

Peyton slowly nodded. It was Monday and she was currently in the middle of her appointment with her therapist. This was their second session together.

"It's been good, not great but it's good." She replied with a shrug.

"Why do you say that?"

"A few weeks ago we were in a really great place, better than ever really. I had shut him out in the very beginning after waking up from my coma, but then I became more drawn to him and we reached a place that was comfortable and…well it was the first time I felt that we were really in a relationship and not because I had woken up being in one, but because I wanted to be in this marriage with him. We took a trip together and the topic of my ex kept coming up and we ended up having a really big fight over it. I was the one who had started the argument." Peyton took a deep breath. "I said something…well I mean I said a lot of things, as did he, but I said one particular thing that really destroyed any progress we had made."

The therapist nodded urging her to continue.

"I told him that I wasn't in love with him and of course he didn't take it very well."

"Because he took that as you still being in love with Jake?"

Peyton nodded again. "Yes and honestly it was said with that intention. I was upset and wanted to hurt him and well…mission accomplished. He was devastated."

"So are you?"

Peyton's face scrunched up not understanding the question.

"Are you still in love with your ex-boyfriend?" The therapist clarified.

Peyton paused. "I guess on some level I still am. I know why things ended, but I don't remember anything about it or the feelings behind it. I don't remember the closure I got after that relationship ended and how I was able to move on with Lucas. Being with Jake still feels very recent even if it's been years since we last spoken to each other, but I've finally accepted that part of my life is over even if I'll never really fully understand all the dynamics behind it. Letting go of Jake is probably the hardest thing I've had to do since my accident."

"And what made you realize that you were ready to let him go?"

Peyton shrugged. "Lucas. That fight. It just put a lot of things into perspective. Hurting him kind of left me devastated too. He didn't talk to me for awhile after that."

"But you two are getting along now?"

"We're working on it. He's still working on forgiving me and I'm still working on earning his trust back. I want to be with him."

"Are you in love with Lucas?"

"I…it's kind of hard to explain…I guess I'm not sure myself." Peyton acknowledged. "But I have these really strong intense feelings for him that far surpass what I feel for Jake. Lucas is more important to me now. He takes care of me, he makes me feel loved, he supports me…I feel…normal when I'm with him and most of the time I don't feel normal. I don't feel like me. But the point is, whatever it is that I do feel for Lucas I'm not ready to categorize it as love just yet."

"Why not?"

"Partly because I need to be sure. I don't wanna hurt him again by saying something I don't mean. I don't think our relationship would survive if I told him I was in love with him and then took it back. Plus being in love in general is also kind of scary especially in the beginning."

"That's completely understandable. The both of you are in a very unique situation. It's important that you are communicating and setting a pace for your relationship that suits you both."

"Lucas was the one who asked me to come to therapy."

"So does that mean that you don't feel like you're here for yourself?"

"No I am, but I'd be lying if I said a small part of me wasn't here because I knew it would make him happy." Peyton admitted. "I would like us to get back to where we were. I miss him and I know I have to be patient with him, but it's hard. He won't even kiss me, it's been a couple of weeks. We had a date night a couple of nights ago. Dinner and a movie, it was nice. We even held hands, but I want more. All I want him to do…is touch me." The blonde turned beet red realizing what she had just said out loud. "Jesus, I'm sorry…"

"There's no need to be embarrassed here Peyton. It's a safe space and we can talk about anything you want." The therapist reassured her. "So you and your husband have been intimate since your accident?"

Peyton shook her head and then paused. "Well I mean we haven't had sex…but we've done some other…stuff." She answered sheepishly.

"But it seems like you're ready to take it further then?"

"For awhile now, but Lucas wanted to take things slow, so I agreed and now since that fight we haven't done anything at all."

"Have you communicated to Lucas what you want?"

"Not exactly with words…" Peyton frowned. The night of their movie date, Peyton had thrown not so subtle hints at Lucas once they had settled into bed that night. Her hands had been roaming his body while her lips were pressed against the crook of his neck. It didn't last long. His hands stopped hers, pulling them away from where she had been really itching to feel him. "He said he didn't think it was the right time. That we should wait." Actually his exact words had been ' _Peyton, I think we should cool it on that front for now. We're not ready.'_ And she had to admit that the rejection had stung. She shrugged it off pretending that it hadn't bothered her but it had. For the first time ever sleeping in Lucas' arms had been awkward and uncomfortable. She was forced to bite back her tears the entire night.

"How did that make you feel?"

"Unwanted. Undesirable." Peyton sighed sadly. "I know he's hurting too, so I know that it's selfish for me to even feel that way, but I couldn't help it. I want Lucas to want me like that."

"Just because Lucas wants to press pause on the intimacy it does not mean that he finds you undesirable Peyton."

"I know…but…"

"It seems like you're having a difficult time with the sudden shift of dynamics in your relationship. Would you say that is an accurate statement?"

Peyton frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well during our first session you spoke about how wary you were of Lucas in the beginning. You pushed him away and you avoided spending time with him alone, and then eventually you started to trust him. You were the one setting the pace of your relationship and Lucas allowed it. He seemed to be okay with that. But now wouldn't you say that those roles have reversed? Lucas is the one setting the pace and now you have to be the patient one. You're not the one running things anymore."

Peyton laughed. It was so true. It had never occurred to her before that they had switched roles. "I'm willing to be patient though. He knows that. I'll wait as long as I need to for him."

"But you're frustrated as well, aren't you? Based on what you've told me so far you don't seem very thrilled that you can't have what you want with your husband right now."

"No I'm not." Peyton agreed. "I hate it. I just want to dive in."

"And that's okay too."

"Is it? It's selfish isn't it? After all I've put him through? I didn't want him and now I want him, but now he doesn't want me…."

"It's called being human. Conflicting emotions are part of the package. No one is expected to feel one way about certain things all the time."

"Yea…I don't know how Lucas did it. How he was so strong all the times I pushed him away in the beginning. I wanted nothing to do with him and he was still there loving me all the same. Meanwhile he avoids me for almost a week after our fight and I was left a hot mess. How did he do it? He's just so good to me even when I don't deserve it. I really want to do something nice for him. Something to show him I care."

"That would be a good idea actually. It's a good opportunity to help you two get closer. What were you thinking?"

Peyton shrugged. "Well…I was thinking about taking his last name. He would like that and it shows that I'm committed to him."

"That's quite the gesture."

"My best friend Brooke said it was a bad idea."

"But you don't?"

"Well I mean we're married anyway…so why not, right?" Peyton reasoned.

The therapist smiled. "How about we try something small instead first? Then maybe you can work your way up?" She suggested.

"Like what?"

"What does your husband like?"

Peyton frowned as she racked her brain. "Umm…basketball?" She sighed. "I'm still getting to know him. He likes books and french toast and he has video games at the house…" The blonde shook her head. "God I'm so bad at this. I'm a bad wife."

"You're not. Relax."

Peyton groaned.

"Okay here's a suggestion, how about a simple dinner? Maybe you can find out from a friend or family member what his favorite meals are and you can make one. I'm sure he will appreciate the effort and it can even be romantic if you want to set that kind of mood."

"Except there's one rather huge flaw with that suggestion." Peyton muttered.

The therapist raised an eyebrow. "Being?" She looked over at Peyton curiously.

"I can't cook to save my life. Lucas usually does the cooking. I mean I made him french toast once, but it took me like three tries…"

The woman laughed. "Well then…even better I say. He'll see the real effort behind your gesture. The meal doesn't have to be perfect Peyton. The meal isn't even the important part of all this, it's you doing something nice for your husband and spending time with him because you want to. It's not about being a perfect wife. It's about enjoying each other's company.

Peyton nodded.

"But anyway it doesn't have to be cooking for him. You can come up with anything you want. I'd like you to do something nice for Lucas before our next session, consider it your homework and we'll discuss about how all that went next time."

"Okay." Peyton agreed.

"Well it looks like we're out of time." The therapist spoke as she eyed the clock. "Make sure to schedule our next appointment with Tracey out front, and I guess I'll see you after the holidays. I hope you have a nice trip back home."

Peyton grinned. "Thank you."

In a few hours she'd be on a plane heading back to Tree Hill with Lucas.

She was more than ready.

* * *

Say hello to Tree Hill in the next chapter.

Thanks everyone and until next time.


	29. What You Know

Reviews

 **B** \- Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

 **Chilarie07** \- I'm also really looking forward to having all these characters back in Tree Hill together. It offers a lot of opportunity for Leyton to reconnect in ways that I don't think they'd be able to back in New York. There's a lot of history there for them.

 **atnelly** \- Well I hope I can surprise you guys during this Tree Hill stay, crossing my fingers!

 **Tpassions** \- There won't be a 'break-up scene' for Chase and Brooke just because I don't think it adds anything to the storyline, but their break up will be explained. Truth be told I have no idea whether or not Peyton will regain any memories during her stay in Tree Hill. I'm still busy outlining what I want to happen in the next few chapters. I know a lot of readers are desperate for her to regain another memory already, but I just can't say for sure when and if that will even happen.

 **S. Jamedra** \- There will be quite a few things happening in Tree Hill, some great and some not so great things, and I can't wait for you guys to read it!

 **Annie** \- Yea Lucas is pretty amazing in the fact that he's still guarded, but yet is able to be there for Peyton while still being sincere about it.

 **leyte** **-** Glad you liked it!

 **Mufc87** \- These two definitely need some more bonding time and Peyton's upcoming gesture for Lucas creates an opportunity for that.

 **jordana60** \- Lucas is pretty incredible that he is able to be this amazing support system for Peyton, despite their ongoing issues as a couple. Peyton's trip to the hospital was without a doubt a wake-up call for him. He was briefly sent back to that place where he feared he lost his wife for good and it most definitely played a role in how he interacts with her now. Shutting Peyton out completely isn't a route he's interested in going anymore.

 **Guest** \- More flashbacks to come!

 **Guest** \- There is still some more drama to come throughout this story, it just won't be in every chapter otherwise these characters and overall storyline will never be able to move forward. Thanks for reading!

 **Guest** \- Well the wait is over, we are officially back in Tree Hill!

* * *

Chapter Track: 'What You Know' by Two Door Cinema Club

* * *

Chapter 29: What You Know

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina - December 2014**

Unlike most days where sleeping in had practically become routine by this point, this pair of green eyes was wide awake for as early in the morning as it was. She had been up for some time now, just as the day's sunlight was beginning to peek through their quiet home. You know that weird and alien feeling one gets sometimes when sleeping in unfamiliar territory? That's exactly what had Peyton up and unable to sleep. From her spot on the bed her eyes wandered on a continuous loop, much like they had done last night, as she took in her new surroundings.

This was the house where Lucas had grown up, his childhood home. It was the home where he had lived most of his life in. It had belonged to his mother and she had given it to him after deciding to pack up and see the world with her daughter Lily and her boyfriend Andy. This was the home where she and Lucas had lived for a couple of years before packing up and moving to New York. Peyton had learned from Lucas that after his mother had left, he had only lived on his own for about two months before he asked her to move in with him. At that point in time they had only been dating for five months.

It was a strange feeling waking up to this room. It was decorated differently than their place back in New York. The entire house had a different vibe, but it was still homey. It had been heartbreaking to hear that her childhood home was no longer hers to come home to. It was no longer hers to call home. It was home to another family now. Larry Sawyer had sold the house shortly after Peyton had moved in with Brooke. With Peyton out of the house it was just too big for one person, especially since he was barely home anyway. After selling the house he got himself a smaller place and that too was sold after his passing.

She wondered who lived in her old house now. She wondered if there was another teenage girl taking residence in her former room. That room had been the blonde's personal haven for many years, and much like she had, that room had gone over various transformations as she aged. The walls had been painted over every color of the rainbow. The last being a deep red and black, with her art and music covering every inch of available space. Then of course there was all the childhood and teenage memories that took place in that room. From sleepovers with Brooke, to webcam videos and podcasts, talks with her dad, listening to her enormous record collection, creating her art, getting ready in her cheer outfit for a Raven's game, to fooling around with the boys she dated. That room had held a lifetime of memories that were near and dear to her heart.

She really did love that room.

It had been so much more than a space with four walls. It was a part of her, it had been like a best friend. Hearing that it no longer belonged to her felt like a piece of her soul had suddenly gone missing. She didn't even get to say goodbye.

Peyton rolled on to her side, her eyes immediately falling on the only familiar thing this room held. Still sleeping, Lucas was on his side of the bed sleeping on his front, with arms stretched out and his head buried deep into his pillow. He was snoring slightly, a clear sign that he was pretty exhausted. He'd been working on his novel nonstop and so he had been sleeping less lately.

She gently lifted Lucas' outstretched arm before rolling underneath and curling at his side. She released his arm letting it fall over her torso. Lucas stirred a bit, his head lifting from his pillow. He looked over at her barely being able to keep his eyes open.

"What time is it?" He questioned in a sleepy daze and a raspy voice.

"Early."

Lucas nodded, his head dropping back down on the pillow. "Everything alright?" A loud yawn escaped his throat.

Peyton nodded. "Yea, just not used to the new house that's all. Go back to sleep."

His lips curved into a sleepy smile. The arm over her curled, pulling her closer to his side. "You love this house." Lucas informed the blonde before pressing a kiss over her forehead. His exhaustion took over and he was passed out seconds later.

Unfortunately for Peyton sleep decided to take a vacation this morning, so she just laid there watching him. When she was certain Lucas was dead asleep, she placed her own sweet kiss over his forehead. Her lips then lingered for a moment, hovering over his, she could kiss him right now and he would never know. She just had to tilt her head a little bit and her lips would be sinking into his, stirring up every emotion and need for him that had been consuming her both day and night.

Peyton released a sigh before pulling back her face. She wanted him so badly that it hurt sometimes, but she promised to be patient. So for now she was just going to stay in bed, keep her lips to herself, and watch this wonderful man of hers sleep for a couple more hours until he finally rose for the day.

* * *

"Lucas? Peyton?" Haley James Scott called out announcing her presence as she entered the house.

"I'm in the living room Hales!" Lucas yelled back.

Haley closed the door behind her. She had entered through the side door of the house that lead to what had previously been Lucas' bedroom back when he was younger. It had been transformed into a home office now. She smiled as she locked the door behind her. It was funny because she could have used the front door, but in all the years she had known Lucas, she couldn't recall a time she had actually come through the front door of this house. She had become accustomed to passing through that side door or the back door of the house where the kitchen was located.

She exited the room, walking down the hall until she reached the living room, where she found her best friend lounging on the couch with a bowl of tomato soup in his hands and a small plate of crackers resting on his lap as he watched a basketball game on the television screen.

"Back already?" He teased as he patted a spot on the couch for Haley to join him.

"Just thought I'd check in on you guys. Wanted to see how it was going."

"Nothing's really changed in the last fourteen or so hours since you were here Hales." Lucas said with a grin.

Peyton and Lucas had arrived in Tree Hill yesterday evening. Nathan had picked them up from the airport and drove them home. When they arrived at the house Haley and the kids had been there to welcome them home. Haley, god bless her, had cleaned the house from top to bottom, stocked the fridge and cabinets, and had dinner ready and waiting for them. Jamie and Lydia had also assisted in decorating with a couple of 'Welcome Home' banners displayed across the house. When Peyton, Lucas and Nathan had walked through the front door last night, Lydia had run up to the three adults with a handful of confetti that she proudly tossed up in the air making everyone laugh.

"Admit it, you just miss me." He nudged his best friend's shoulder with his own after she had sat down.

Haley chuckled. "So sue me. I'm just glad you guys are home even if I only get you for a short while."

"There's some more soup if you want." Lucas offered before taking a spoonful in his mouth.

Haley put up a hand and politely declined. "I just ate, thank you."

"What's Nate up to?"

"He's at home spending time with the kids." Haley replied. "Where's Peyton? She in the room?"

Lucas shook his head. "She's not home. She left earlier this morning for the cemetery."

"Right." Haley slowly nodded not at all surprised. It was pretty much the first thing Peyton did every time she would come back home. "I would have thought you'd go with her this time…considering Larry and all…" This would be the first time Peyton would be seeing Larry Sawyer's grave since being told that her father had passed.

"I offered but you know her…sometimes she just needs to do stuff like this alone. I didn't want to push it." Lucas finished the rest of his soup and set down the bowl.

Haley reached over swiping a leftover cracker off Lucas' lap. "You guys seem to be doing better." She spoke while munching on the cracker. She was well aware of the couple's disastrous conclusion to their LA trip. "She couldn't keep her eyes off you last night you know." Haley said with a smile. "It was adorable. It kind of reminded me of when you guys first started dating. It's like no one else in the room exists."

Lucas chuckled. "We are doing better." He acknowledged. "We're finally back on the same page again."

"So does this mean that you guys talked about the fight and that you've forgiven each other?" Haley asked with a hopeful tone.

The blond nodded. "We talked. The forgiving part is gonna take time though." He answered. "I can't just pretend that what happened wasn't a big deal. It hurt Haley. It really hurt." Lucas sighed. "But I love her and I can't just push her away either. I still want to be there for her. Peyton's going through some stuff Hales…she struggles."

"Has she apologized at least? I mean does she realize how wrong she was? How painful that was for you?" Peyton was like a sister to Haley, but she also hadn't been happy to hear what had occurred. Lucas hadn't deserved it. He was a good man and an even better husband. And though she completely sympathized with Peyton's situation – in Haley's eyes it still didn't excuse the blonde's behavior.

Lucas nodded. "More than once. She's not taking the situation lightly." He reassured his friend. "We both want this marriage. I'm not in this alone. Peyton wants this too and I want her."

"Tell me something I don't know. You've wanted her since we were twelve." Haley teased.

"Guess even back then I knew I would get the girl." He spoke with a hint of amusement.

Haley laughed at him. "No you didn't." She replied not believing it for a minute. Back then he was lucky if Peyton Sawyer even glanced in his direction.

"No I didn't." Lucas replied laughing right along with the brunette at his side. He really had never expected that the girl of his dreams would end up becoming his wife and the love of his life.

"You were hopeless." Haley reminded him. "Remember after your first date when you came over to gush?"

"I do not gush." Lucas quickly defended, his chest puffing out a bit.

"Oh you so did that night." She teased. "And I remember you said, _'Peyton Sawyer is not human. She's an angel, and she's my angel.'_ You had only spent a few hours together and you were already knee deep into this thing with her, and honestly I was actually worried about you. I kept thinking what if it didn't end up working out? But clearly your pathetic little ten year infatuation with her finally paid off and in the end you managed to trick Peyton into dating you exclusively."

Lucas grinned while shaking his head. "Christ." He muttered. "Sometimes I still can't believe it took me ten years before I finally talked to her."

"Please you didn't even do anything." Haley muttered. "You should be thanking that car of hers for choosing to break down in front of the café."

Lucas nodded. "That changed everything."

"It's when you finally got the girl." Haley spoke with a smile. "And she got the boy."

"Nah, she already had me a long time ago. She just didn't realize it yet."

"God you're so sweet. It's sickening." Haley said practically melting. "You really gotta school your brother on the sweet talk. He's not exactly the smoothest operator when it comes to words, though he does have his moments."

Lucas laughed.

"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." He said quietly after a pause. "I miss her Haley. I miss her so much. I miss everything we had."

"Memory loss or not Luke, you can still get back what you had. It's just gonna take a little work." She placed a hand on his knee comfortingly.

He sighed. "I know. We're just taking things slow for now. I'm still learning to trust her again. I'm not willing to give her all of me unless I know for sure that she's not half-assing it this time. I just can't."

Haley gave him a soft smile, letting him know that she understood where he was coming from. "You do what you have to do. As much as I know how much you love saving Peyton, you're allowed to protect your heart too. You know I'll always support you. Both of you. I love you guys and you're family, but you will always be MY best friend first."

Lucas returned the smile. "Thanks. It's really good to be home."

"Anytime." She replied with a shrug of the shoulder.

Lucas smirked. "So…tell me more about how much you missed me." He spoke while kicking his feet up on the coffee table and putting his hands behind his head.

Haley rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Oh you." She said dismissively before stretching out on the couch, her legs going over Lucas' lap as she settled down to watch the game along with him.

* * *

Peyton sat out on the front steps of the large house behind her. She needed a minute to herself before going in. She had spent a large chunk of this morning at the cemetery paying her respects. This particular visit had been hard. As she had gotten older visiting her mother had become less difficult, less sad. It had brought her comfort being able to have a place where she could talk to her. Ironically her grave had become sort of a happy place for Peyton, where she could come tell her mom about her day or whatever demons were troubling her that week.

There wasn't supposed to be another tombstone sharing space beside her mother's, at least not so soon. Peyton had spotted her father's grave long before she had even neared it. She was several feet away completely frozen in her tracks, instantly regretting her decision to come alone. It took her a good ten minutes before she was able to face her father, her face bursting into tears as she dragged her feet across the dirt making her way over to his place of rest. Another ten minutes passed before she was able to sit down, and then it was another ten before she could actually form coherent syllables.

She really didn't know what to say except ' _sorry.'_ Sorry that this happened to him. Sorry that she couldn't remember what had happened. Sorry that she couldn't remember their last moments together. She took some comfort in the fact that her parents were finally reunited after years of being apart. Larry Sawyer had never really moved on after his wife passed. He dated some, but those relationships were always brief, and he never remarried. He had become married to his job instead. And although the man had his flaws – he was barely around during her teenage years, something that had affected Peyton profoundly, – he had still been a pretty great dad. They had always been close and he should still be here. His role as a father was far from over in her eyes. She needed him. She needed her father now more than ever.

The blonde exhaled loudly as she tightened Ellie's leather jacket around her. It had been too cold to wear it in the city, but it was perfect for Tree Hill weather, where winters weren't brutal. She continued to sit on the steps, hunched over as watched the tapping of her feet against the pavement.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard the sounds of a car pulling up the driveway. She looked up recognizing the driver and stood up offering up a small wave in greeting.

"Hi!" Haley said surprised to find Peyton outside her house. She slipped out of the driver's seat and approached the blonde. "I was just over at your place. I hung out for awhile with Lucas hoping that you would come home. How are you?"

Peyton shrugged. "I'm alright."

"Luke mentioned you went to the cemetery."

"Yea…"

"I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do. This all just…"

"Sucks?" Peyton offered sporting a small smile.

Haley chuckled. "Damn right it does. It sucks, it really sucks."

The blonde shrugged once more. There really wasn't another way to describe the situation more perfectly than that.

"Listen I know you don't really know me right now so it's weird, but I'm here for you Peyton. If you ever need anything…I'm here, so is Nathan."

"Thanks Haley. I appreciate it."

Haley smiled. "So not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Haley questioned as she began to dig for her house keys inside her purse.

"I kind of need a favor actually." Peyton timidly reply.

"Oh course, whatever you need!" Haley quickly spoke, eager to assist. "Wait how did you even get here?" She frowned noticing that the only other car in the driveway belonged to her husband.

"Oh I walked."

Haley's face dropped. "You walked all the way from the cemetery?!" She said incredulously. "Oh my god you're crazy." While the walk to the cemetery from Lucas and Peyton's place was fairly manageable – only fifteen minutes – it was a much longer walk from there to her house. It was at least an hour and that's if you were walking at a reasonable pace, otherwise it could easily take over an hour.

Peyton delivered another shrug of the shoulders like it was no big deal. "I kind of needed to clear my head after the cemetery." She admitted. "Honestly it was actually kind of nice to walk around Tree Hill again. Didn't realize how much I've missed the quietness of it all until now."

"Does Lucas know you're here?"

Peyton shook her head. "No he doesn't, which is also why I walked over. I didn't want him to come."

Haley made a face and raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing bad I swear." The blonde said quickly easing the brunette's suspicions. "It'll make more sense once I explain."

"Wait if Lucas doesn't know that you're here, how did you know where I live?"

"I texted Brooke for the address."

Haley nodded. "Okay, well come on let's get you inside. It's kind of chilly out here today." Haley spoke as she switched into mom mode and motioned for Peyton to follow her into the house. "I'll make you hot chocolate or something to warm up after that long walk."

"Oh I think I hear mom." Nathan announced. He was sitting at the kitchen island with Lydia in his lap as they colored a coloring book together.

"Hi guys! How's it going?" Haley walked into the kitchen and tossed her purse aside.

"Hi mama." Lydia looked up from the picture she was coloring in.

"Hi baby girl." Haley dropped a kiss on her daughter's cheek before dropping another one on Nathan's. "Where's Jamie?" She wondered.

"He's already at Andre's. They picked him up early." Nathan explained.

Haley nodded before turning back to her daughter. "So Liddy would you be interested in a really cool super surprise?" She said excitedly.

Lydia paused dramatically as she considered her mother's proposal and dropped the orange crayon in her hand. "Okay." She grinned at her mother, her honey colored eyes wide and bright. Nathan looked up curiously at his wife also wondering what the surprise was.

"Come on out!" Haley called out cheerfully.

Peyton suddenly jumped into view making a big show of it and Lydia's eyes got even bigger. "Aunt Peyton!" She squealed right before sliding down from Nathan's lap and running into the blonde's arms.

"Wow. How come I didn't get that welcoming reception?" Haley said putting on an exaggerated pout.

Nathan laughed. Standing behind her, he put his arms around Haley's waist and pulled her back to his chest before squeezing her tightly. "How's that?" He teased in her ear.

Haley smiled tilting her head back so that Nathan could kiss her.

"Good to see you Sawyer, two days in a row." Nathan released Haley and hugged Peyton, who had Lydia perched up over a hip. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Neither did I." Haley piped in. "I just found her outside sitting on the steps."

"Oh."

"Sorry for showing up unannounced." Peyton slightly frowned.

"Nonsense." Nathan said dismissively. "You're always welcome here. We should give her a tour Hales." He suggested.

"In a bit. I was gonna make some hot chocolate to warm up first."

Nathan nodded. "Have a seat Sawyer." He pulled out a chair from underneath the kitchen island for her.

Peyton took a seat with Lydia still firmly attached to her side. Nathan slid the coloring book and supplies in front of Lydia and she quietly went to work coloring, allowing the adults to chat freely.

"So what brings you by?" Nathan questioned as Haley moved around the kitchen preparing the hot chocolate and collecting mugs for everyone.

"I need a favor." Peyton responded as she watched Lydia color in her book. "I'd like to do something nice for Lucas and since you two probably know him best I kind of need your help." She turned to Nathan. "I don't really know that much about him. What he likes or doesn't like…I'm still learning what Lucas IS like."

Both Haley and Nathan looked at each other and smiled.

"We'd be happy to help Peyton." Haley spoke from the stove as she heated up some milk. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Well I guess making dinner would be a good start. I figure you might know what Lucas likes Haley – something easy though. I'm not exactly a wiz in the kitchen."

"Oh we're well aware." Nathan quipped earning him a glare from both women.

Haley shook her head ignoring him. "How about some type of casserole or something you can just throw the ingredients together and put in the oven? That's more low maintenance." She suggested.

"Whatever works, as long as you think Lucas would enjoy it." Peyton replied.

"I'll get my box of recipes. There's a few in there that I know for a fact that Luke has really liked before." Haley clapped her hands excitedly. She was happy to see that Peyton was really taking some initiative here with Lucas. There was hope for these two yet.

"Whatever you do don't make your chocolate chips cookies." Nathan casually added.

Peyton frowned. "What's wrong with my chocolate chip cookies?"

"Daddy and Uncle Lucas say you make really salty cookies Aunt Peyton!" Lydia, deciding that she would provide the answer giggled from her spot on Peyton's lap.

Peyton scoffed in surprise and Nathan was laughing so hard his entire body shook. He almost fell out of his chair.

"Lydia…" Haley tried her best not to laugh, her facial features betraying her as her lips curved into a smile.

"They're not THAT bad." Peyton defended.

"Oh yes they are." Nathan wiped the tears in his eyes as his laughter subsided.

Peyton pouted.

"I think we should skip the cookies this time." Haley said trying to sound as diplomatic as possible. Peyton's cookies really were terrible.

Haley passed out mugs of steaming hot chocolate to everyone in the room. "I'm gonna go grab those recipes then. I think I left them upstairs."

Peyton turned back to Nathan waiting for him to finish taking a sip from his mug. "So what else do you think Lucas might like?"

Nathan's lips pursed up as he racked his brain for ideas. "Well I mean I could definitely get you guys courtside tickets to a game. VIP lounge passes too. Lucas always loves that." He offered.

Peyton considered it. "I'll definitely hold you to that for another time, but I kind of wanna do something a little more personal right now."

Nathan nodded running a hand through his raven hair. "I understand. Talk to Hales, she's better at this than I am."

"Uncle Luke likes playing tea party wif me." Lydia stated. Her mouth was covered in hot chocolate. She clearly wasn't the most graceful drinker.

Peyton chuckled. "Good idea Lydia, maybe I will invite Uncle Lucas to a tea party."

"Can I come too?"

"Sure." The blonde humored her.

"I'll make the cookies though Aunt Peyton." Lydia quipped seriously.

Peyton frowned once more, while Nathan burst into another laughing fit.

Apparently this three year old was a master at throwing shade.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – August 2009**_

 _Lucas banged loudly on the door, eager to be let in. He could barely contain his excitement right now and he went straight to the one person who he couldn't wait to share his good news with. He let a few seconds pass before pounding down on the door again._

" _Geez I'm coming, I'm coming." He heard the voice behind the door mutter, clearly annoyed with the intrusion._

 _The door swung open revealing a not so thrilled Brooke. "What. Is. The. Emergency?" She drawled out her words._

 _Lucas looked past Brooke's shoulder spotting his girlfriend on the couch. "Hi honey." Peyton softly greeted him from her spot._

" _Hey beautiful." She was wearing one of his faded Tar Heels tees that barely covered the boyshorts she had on. It was by far his favorite outfit that she wore. He loved it when she wore nothing but his t-shirts around the house. It was the sexiest thing in his opinion._

" _Um excuse you, what about me? Don't I get a hello Lucas Scott?" Brooke had been a lot grumpier these days due to her recent breakup with Chase. They had barely hit the one year anniversary mark before calling it quits. No one had seen it coming._

 _Lucas shifted his attention back to the grouchy brunette in front of him. "Hello to you too pretty girl." He offered up a kind smile. Truth was Brooke wasn't so bad. The brunette had kind of grown on him in the last month. She was kind, friendly, fiercely passionate, and most of the things that came out of her mouth were pretty hilarious. He now considered Brooke Davis a friend, and Haley had nearly rolled over and died when he told her that._

 _Brooke perked up and smiled. "You may enter." She stepped aside allowing Lucas to do so._

 _The second he was granted access he ran over to Peyton's side and playfully plopped on top of her lap._

" _Lucas!" Peyton shrieked laughing. He wasn't exactly the lightest feather._

" _Baby, guess what?" He looked over at her with pure joy on his face._

 _Peyton thought he resembled a kid on Christmas day with how wide his mouth was at the moment. He was too cute. "What is it?" She copied Lucas' wide smile, feeding off his excitement._

 _His grin remained in place. "I got the assistant coach job!"_

 _She squealed. Her arms locked over his neck bringing him closer. "Luke that's so great!" She playfully bumped her nose against his. "I'm so proud of you. I knew you would get it." Her lips were over his shortly after._

 _Nathan had given Lucas the heads up regarding a last minute assistant coach position on the Ravens that had opened up earlier this month. Nathan had heard about it from his old high school coach Whitey, who he still kept in touch with. Whitey was planning on retiring in the next two years and was looking to groom someone to take his place. Lucas had applied immediately. Nathan had put in a good word and he had scored an interview less than a week later. As much as he appreciated his mother giving him a job managing the café and Tric, it wasn't exactly something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Coaching basketball was something he had never considered before, but he did love the game and he was a pretty good player. Most days he was on par with Nathan whenever they had their one-on-ones, despite not having any formal training._

 _Brooke coughed rather loudly interrupting the couple's kiss. Neither one of them noticing that she had returned to her spot on the couch. "Congrats Luke." She said relatively dryly as she flipped through a magazine._

 _Peyton made a face mouthing a sorry to him. Brooke wasn't exactly her usual peppy self these days. She had already gone through her 'mourning of the relationship' stage and was currently in the 'who needs men' bitter stage. Watching other couples engage in PDA wasn't exactly on Brooke's to do list right now._

" _Thanks Brookie." Lucas slid off his girlfriend's lap and sat next to her on the couch._

" _So when do you start?" Peyton took his hands into her lap and began playing with his fingers._

" _Couple of weeks. We're gonna start going over plays."_

" _I'm so happy for you babe." She linked their fingers together. "You so deserve it. You're gonna kill it."_

" _Thanks Peyt." He leaned over dropping a quick kiss over her lips._

 _Brooke coughed again._

 _Peyton rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She suddenly thought of something and her face lit up in anticipation. "I have something for you." She told Lucas with a smile. "C'mon it's in the room." She stood up and tugged at his hands for him to do the same._

" _Oh yea?" Lucas said with a small smirk. "I really hope its sex. Please god let it be sex."_

" _It's not sex." Brooke called out in a bored tone from her spot on the couch as the couple disappeared into Peyton's room._

 _Peyton closed the door behind her. Lucas was right behind her pressing his chest into her back while his mouth dropped to her neck. "It's really not sex." She told him giggling as his lips tickled her neck._

" _You're wearing nothing but my t-shirt and those tiny boyshorts that really shouldn't be legal. You know what that does to me babe." His hands fell on her hips, where his faded tee had ridden up, slightly exposing the curve of her backside. "You can't wear that and seriously expect me not to want to fuck you." He whispered in her ear._

 _Her cheeks flushed at his words and the feel of his heavy breathing hitting the back of her neck caused an involuntary shiver. "Okay down boy." Peyton wiggled out of his hold, turning around to face him. "Go sit down on the bed." She ordered pointing in that direction._

" _Gladly." Lucas smirked as he strutted towards the bed._

 _Peyton scoffed rolling her eyes. "Close your eyes okay?"_

" _Is this some kind of kink thing?" He quipped with eyebrows raised._

" _Just shut up and close those baby blues mister."_

 _Lucas obeyed and closed his eyes. Moments later he could feel Peyton straddling his lap, her knees were bent and placed on either side of him. "I thought this wasn't about sex?" He spoke in a deep husky tone. His hands fell over her ass and squeezed._

" _It's not you perv." She smacked his chest and he laughed at her barely feeling a thing. "Open your eyes." Lucas opened his eyes. "This is for you." She handed him a present. Based on the feel and weight of it he could tell that it was a book. "Open it." The blonde urged him._

 _Lucas carefully tore off the wrapping. He was correct in it being a book. He then flipped it over to look at the front cover. His name was staring back at him in bold print, as was the title of the novel he had secretly worked on for the past four years. Peyton was the only one who knew the thing existed. He had told her about it on their first date. He quickly flipped through the book to confirm. It was all there, every single word he'd written poured over the pages. His blue eyes flew up to meet her eyes. "What? How did you…what is this?" He was left speechless._

" _Do you like it?" She looked nervous, her bottom lip tucked underneath her teeth._

" _It's my novel."_

 _Peyton chuckled and nodded. "Yup. Don't worry I didn't read it or anything. I promise. I know you're not ready to share it with anyone yet. I just sent it off to the printers."_

" _Why did you do this?" He wondered looking back down at the book in his hands._

" _Well I mean…I know you're not ready to send it to publishers yet, but one day you're gonna be a published author Lucas Scott. I can feel it. I can feel it in my bones. You're gonna share your art with the whole world and everyone is gonna love it. It's gonna matter. Your words are gonna change the world and I don't need to read your book to already know that. I just wanted to be the one to give you the very first edition of 'An Unkindness of Ravens', so when you run off and get all famous you won't forget about little ol' me." She teased._

 _Lucas swallowed down the lump in his throat. He didn't know what he did to deserve such a wonderful woman at his side. He was completely touched by her words. "I could never forget you, couldn't even if I tried."_

 _Peyton released a chuckle. "I am pretty unforgettable, aren't I?" She teased while wrapping her arms around his neck._

" _It's much more than that." Lucas insisted. "If I actually ever do become a published writer you're gonna be right there next to me." He informed her._

" _What?" She slightly shook her head at Lucas, not completely understanding his words._

" _You're the one I want next to me when my dreams come true. It's you Peyton."_

" _Oh Lucas…" Her face softened before giving him a kind smile, meanwhile her heart was straight up beating out of her chest. "Do you really mean that?" Peyton asked quietly._

 _Lucas nodded. "I kind of want you next to me even if they don't come true." He was pretty sure that he was in love with her too. He had no idea if Peyton felt the same, but he was determined to spend the rest of his life making her fall in love with him. There was no one else but her for him. She had ruined other women for him. No one else would compare. They had only been together for two months, but he was absolutely in love with this girl. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he hoped to god that she felt the same way about him._

" _Luke…I" She really didn't know what else to say. He had left her speechless._

" _Is that crazy? Is it crazy that I just said that out loud?" He exclaimed. "I'm not scaring you away am I?" His eyes widened suddenly as is head filled with doubt and fear. He knew how easily Peyton scared away when people got too close._

" _It's not crazy." She whispered. "In fact it's kind of perfect." It was in her nature to be running for the hills right about now. It was far too early in their relationship for these types of declarations. It was scary and yet it was thrilling at the same time. She didn't find herself wanting to pull away from Lucas at all. What Peyton realized was that she did want to be the one standing next to him, always._

 _Peyton smiled up at him and then her lips slanted over his. She didn't hold back at all as their lips molded together and her tongue possessively explored every inch of his mouth like it belonged exclusively to her. She kissed him until she became lightheaded, and even then she continued to devour his lips as she struggled for more air to enter her lungs._

 _When they finally retracted their lips, Peyton's forehead was pressed up against his, both of them panting heavily, their faces flushed and hot. "How did you even do this?" Lucas huffed out, as his chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. His fingers traced over the cover of the book that was still in his hand._

" _I dropped by your house while you were at work one day. Your mom let me in, told her my computer was busted and that you said I could borrow yours."_

 _The blond smirked. "Sneaky."_

" _Also 'Peyton Sawyer' as your log in password? Wasn't that hard to crack." She teased. "How long have you had that?"_

 _Lucas' eyes widened in humiliation. "Not long..." He mumbled quietly._

 _Peyton laughed. "It's cute." She placed a lingering kiss over his cheek. "Do you like?" She questioned once more._

 _Lucas looked back down at the book in his hand. "I love it." He slid his other hand behind the nape of her neck. "It's perfect and you're perfect. Thank you baby, really I mean it, thank you." Lucas' lips sealed themselves over hers once more and he could feel Peyton smiling the entire time as they devoured each other._

 _Eventually they broke for air. His nose nuzzled against hers. "Here."Lucas placed the book back in her hands._

 _Peyton look at him curiously._

" _I want you to be the first one to read it."_

 _His request left her stunned. "Really? Me? Not Haley?" She challenged. Haley didn't even know about the book, but she was Lucas' best friend after all._

" _Yes you silly." He mocked._

" _You really want me to be the first one to read it?" She was grinning now._

" _I do. I really do, unless you don't want to…"_

 _Peyton cut him off. "I do!" She laughed. "I really do. I'd be honored." She gave him another kiss before climbing off his lap and laying down on the bed. "I'm gonna start reading now!" She bounced slightly on the bed feeling absolutely giddy._

 _Lucas rolled over to her side plucking the book from her hands. "Wait, are we really not gonna have sex right now?"_

 _Peyton scowled at him. "Is that all you think about?"_

" _With those legs can you really blame me?" He ran a finger over her left leg. His touch leaving behind a trail of fire over her skin. "Besides I just got a new job. I think a celebration is in order." He gave his girlfriend a cheeky look._

 _Peyton snatched the book back. "Down boy."_

 _Lucas dropped his head against the pillow dramatically and groaned._

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – December 2014**

Peyton entered the house locking the door behind her. "Luke I'm home." She padded down the hall heading straight to the kitchen for a glass of water. She tossed the set of keys Lucas had given her on top of the small kitchen table and went to grab a glass.

"Was that Nate who just dropped you off?" Lucas questioned as he entered the kitchen. He had recognized the car after peeking out the window when he heard her arrive.

Peyton nodded before taking a long sip of water.

"Where have you been? I was starting to get worried." She had been gone all morning and most of the afternoon.

"Well after visiting my parents I sort of ended up at Nathan and Haley's house." She confessed. "I should have called you. I'm sorry."

"Oh." Lucas spoke in surprise. "How did you end up there?"

"I walked."

"You walked?" He said incredulously.

"Yup."

"Why didn't you come back home? I would have driven you there." It was a long walk to his brother's.

"It was fine Lucas. I just needed to clear my head. I didn't mind." Peyton answered. For obvious reasons she wasn't going to tell him the real truth behind why she had been there and why she didn't want him giving her a ride. After Haley had returned with her recipes, together they had picked out a couple of dinner options. With that out of the way, Haley had also given her a few other ideas of nice things to do for Lucas. They were all swirling in Peyton's head at the moment as she was still deciding on how to make it all work. "What the hell happened to you?" She scowled finally taking in his appearance for the first time. He was filthy.

Lucas chuckled. "I've been in the garage, wanted to see if our cars were running okay." He replied. "Mine was fine, but yours desperately needed an oil change."

Peyton's eyes widened. "My comet?" She smiled big.

Lucas nodded.

"Can I see it?" She asked sweetly.

"Come on."

Peyton set down her empty glass of water, allowing Lucas to take one of her hands and lead her out of the kitchen and outside towards the car garage. The second Peyton caught sight of her car her lips stretched out so wide you'd think they would have snapped. She looked back up at Lucas offering up another bright smile. It was nice to be in the presence of something so familiar again. She loved this car so damn much. Her old house was no longer hers, but she was grateful that she still had this car. It had been another staple of her teenage years. She had left it behind when she had gone to college, hoping to bring it out to California someday. "Does it run?"

"Yea it's good to go now." He tossed her the keys to the comet.

"Thank you." She spoke sweetly once more as she wrapped her arms around his torso not caring that he reeked of motor oil and was covered in grease. There he was once again beating her at his own game. Lucas really was too good to her.

Lucas looped an arm around her. "Happy to do it."

She held on to him for a few more seconds before slipping away to approach her car, running a hand over the car as she circled it. "Man do I miss driving." New York was all about subways and taxis, driving wasn't really a necessity.

"Wanna take it out for a spin?" Lucas suggested.

"Later." Peyton replied. "Kinda wanna take a nap first, didn't get much sleep last night." She hopped into the backseat, sinking into the red leather seats of the car. "Hey Lucas Scott, you wanna take a nap with me?" She looked up at him, patting down a spot for him to join her.

Lucas smiled and nodded silently. He easily hopped inside next to her. They both stretched out as best as they could in the backseat. Their legs were tangled up together and the majority of her slender frame was resting on top of his. "I missed you today." The words slipped past his lips after they had comfortably settled themselves in the backseat.

"Really?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" He teased as he rolled one of her curls between his fingers.

Peyton sheepishly shook her head, burying her face in his chest. "I wasn't gone long." She reasoned.

"Doesn't matter." Lucas said simply. "Are you gonna be okay Peyton?" She hadn't mentioned how her trip to the cemetery this morning went.

"I'll be okay Luke." She spoke quietly. It had been a hard day. Her heart was still heavy, but she'd be okay eventually. There really was no other choice. Her father was gone and she couldn't run away from that hard fact now that she was back home. The visit to the cemetery had made his death that much more real and Peyton was grateful Lucas was here with her now.

He sighed. "I wish you would have let me go with you." He had respected her decision to go alone this morning, but he hadn't been thrilled over it. He understood her reasoning, but he couldn't help but worry over it, especially with how emotionally distressed Peyton was these days. It had been a big step.

"I needed to do it alone." She lifted her head off his chest, immediately getting lost in his blue eyes. "You know, you don't always have to feel like you have to save me all the time." She teased.

Lucas laughed. Haley had said something similar that morning. "I can't help it." He grinned. "It's kind of always been that way. Does it bother you?"

She shook her head. "It wasn't a complaint." Honestly she loved it, though after everything they'd been through lately, she was surprised that he was still willing to be there for her. Lucas could have very well pulled away completely from her while he was still sorting out his feelings, and trying to forgive and move forward in their relationship, but he hadn't. He still had her back despite the messy status of their relationship at the moment. "I kind of love it." She said truthfully. "But I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to, considering everything I'd understand if you wanted to—"

Lucas cut her off. "That's not happening." He told her sternly. "Ever." There would never be a time when he wouldn't be there for her. "Okay?" He said leaving no room for argument.

"Okay." Peyton confirmed with a soft smile. Her head fell back down to his chest.

She had wanted to kiss him so badly right then and there – especially when he said things like that. She didn't of course, worried that she might ruin the moment between them. Peyton had no idea how close Lucas was to forgiving her – if he was even close at all – but she would keep waiting. Something deep down inside told her that he would be hers again, completely. She was no longer worried and she didn't know what it was, perhaps it was being back home in Tree Hill, but for the first time since LA, Peyton truly believed and no longer feared that she would lose him.

Sure it wouldn't be easy, but it was all going to work out.

* * *

Next up we'll spend Christmas Eve with Leyton & things heat up further for 'past' Leyton.

If you have a moment to spare please let me know what you thought about this latest chapter. I really do loving reading your thoughts and comments! Hope you guys were able to catch all the classic Leyton quotes from the show in this chapter!

Until next time.


	30. Let's Love

Reviews

 **Tpassions** \- Thanks for your suggestions! Always welcomed.

 **Annie** \- Yes absolutely! Peyton's insecurities hold her back and Lucas had already address this two chapters ago, he wants her to be herself and not who she thinks he wants her to be. She'll get there eventually.

 **Talz** \- I've got more pre-Leyton for you in this chapter, so enjoy!

 **S. Jamedra** \- Get ready for more feels in this chapter!

 **thibbs65** \- Lydia does not mess around! She tells it like it is, lol!

 **leyte** \- Happy you liked it! As for your questions: Leyton moved to NYC because Peyton was having a hard time after her father's death and needed a change (this was mentioned in one of the earlier chapters, just can't remember which one right now). There might be a flashback scene for that, but I haven't decided yet. As for Brulian, Peyton introduced them when Julian came into town wanting to turn Lucas' book into a movie (this was mentioned in one of the thanksgiving chapters by Brooke). Not sure if I'll include a flashback for that either.

 **prankgurl** \- I'm sorry to hear you weren't enjoying the last few chapters, but I'm glad I was able to win you back with the last one. At any rate I appreciate your honestly and the time you take to read my story and let me know your thoughts on it.

 **Guest** \- Thank you for loving this fic! It means the world to me, you have no idea!

 **Mufc87** \- I couldn't resist using those classic Leyton quotes at some point in this fic. There's a lot more Leyton progress in this chapter, so enjoy!

 **B -** Something tells me you're gonna enjoy the flashback featured in this chapter!

* * *

Hi my loves! So this entire chapter is filled with nothing but Leyton fluff and smut. It's a super long one, longer than planned, but the words just kept pouring through. Apologies for any major spelling/grammer errors, it's late and I'm exhausted and I just wanted to get it out there. Enjoy!

Chapter Track: 'Let's Love' by Echosmith

* * *

Chapter 30: Let's Love

The next morning Lucas woke up to a phone call from Nathan who wanted to get a good workout in at the river court and had been very insistent that his brother join him.

"It's Christmas Eve." Lucas complained as he sat up in bed careful not to wake up Peyton. He ran a hand over his sleepy face and groaned.

" _Your point being?"_

"I'd rather stay at home with my wife." He and Peyton had agreed to spend Christmas Eve just the two of them at home, and then Christmas day at Nathan and Haley's. "Just like I'm sure Haley would want you to do the same."

Lucas could hear his brother scoff over the phone.

" _Don't be such a baby. I won't keep you out long, just a couple of hours. We'll get a good run in and then play a game."_

"Can't we just do this tomorrow at your place when I come over?" Lucas argued. Nathan had a decent hoop set up in the driveway of his house.

" _Nah, too many distractions. Get ready. I'll meet you at the river court in twenty."_

"Nathan…" Lucas began ready to shut his brother down again. He just didn't have the time today. He still had to go to the supermarket with Peyton to get all the stuff they needed for tonight's dinner and they'd probably be prepping and cooking the food for most of the afternoon. They probably should have done this yesterday, but they got too lazy lounging in the backseat of Peyton's car all afternoon while listening to music.

"It's fine Luke. You should go." Peyton mumbled over from her side of the bed. "Go spend some time with your brother."

"Hmmm go spend time with my idiot brother – who smells like total garbage after one of his workouts by the way – or stay in bed with my chickeny-legged wife." Lucas spoke as he put on a face pretending to struggle with his options.

"Hey!" Peyton gave him a good kick with those said legs.

Lucas groaned.

" _Sounds like a no brainer to me."_

Nathan taunted over the line already knowing that Peyton had mostly likely expressed her displeasure at being compared to a farm animal, though that never stopped Lucas from making fun of her twig-like legs since the day they met.

Lucas ignored his brother and turned over to Peyton. "We still have to hit up the supermarket. They close early today." He reminded her.

"I can do it." Peyton reassured him. "And then when you get back we can start making dinner. It's fine Luke. I don't mind."

" _Looks like the man of the house has spoken."_

Nathan announced over the line having overheard Peyton.

"Shut up." Lucas muttered.

 _"Whatever, see you in twenty and bring the basketball will ya?"_

Lucas scoffed. "You're the one harassing me at this hour and now I have to bring the ball on top of that?"

" _Yup. And while you're at it ask Peyton if you can borrow your other two balls for the day. I know how she likes to keep them under lock and key."_

Nathan quipped before promptly ending the call.

"Asshole." Lucas mumbled looking down at his phone to confirm that his brother had indeed hung up on him.

Peyton's entire body shook with laughter. Nathan no doubt had purposely spoken that last bit rather loudly so that she'd be able to hear.

"Oh you think that's funny do you?" His blue eyes scanned her, while his mouth smirked up just a bit.

"Umm…no?" The blonde replied failing miserably at keeping her laughs at bay. "But you can have your balls back for the day if you feel like you really need them." She quickly quipped.

Lucas chuckled in surprise. "Oh so you have jokes now do you?"

It was Peyton's turn to be surprised now. She released a high pitched squeal when Lucas suddenly pounced on top of her, straddling the blonde at her hips and began mercilessly tickling her stomach.

"Oh my god, stop, stop!" Peyton cried out between an endless mixture of shrieks and laughter that was currently erupting from her throat, while her legs flayed about.

"I'm sorry? What was that?" Lucas replied as he continued to ignore her breathless cries for him to stop.

Peyton grabbed his hands in a poor attempt to pull them off her body, but Lucas was clearly the stronger of the two. "'Lucas c'mon stop!" She begged while still trying to catch her breath. "You jerk!" She released his hands and then delivered a weak punch to one of his arms, which only made him tickle her even harder.

Lucas' laughter roared loudly as he observed Peyton struggle underneath him. She was red in the face. Deciding that she'd had enough, Lucas halted his movements. Peyton tried to punch him again, but he easily caught her wrists and pinned down her hands on either side of her.

Peyton took several long deep breaths. "That was mean." She pouted.

"That was fun." Lucas countered. "Think I rather stay here all day and torture you instead." He teased. She really had no idea how sexy she looked when she was pouting like that.

Peyton smiled up at his towering figure. Lucas still had her hands pinned down at the wrists, but she was still able to bend her arms and prop herself up on her elbows bringing their faces closer. "You know what they say don't you? Revenge is sweet." She told him extra sweetly before placing a kiss to his warm cheek.

Lucas shrugged. "Bring it on." He replied unfazed from the threat.

"Next time you'll be the one underneath me." She said boldly, surprising herself even.

Lucas swallowed thickly. Absentmindedly, his hold over Peyton's wrists tightened. All of the blood in his brain rushed out, heading south. "Looking forward to it." He eventually replied while sporting a cocky grin. He then quickly rolled off of her, quietly and discreetly releasing an anguished sigh when his back had turned away from her. It was getting a lot harder these days to hold back physically from her. They had started to tiptoe across that line recently. Even Lucas had to admit that it was doubtful either one of them would last much longer, but he wanted them to grow closer emotionally first before returning down that physical route. He felt that had been part of the problem the first time around and they couldn't afford to screw things up a second time.

Peyton released her own disappointed sigh at the abrupt removal of his body. Her suggestive comment had backfired. Lucas just wasn't budging when it came to the physical boundaries he had put in place, though she could tell he was beginning to struggle with them himself. Abiding by the 'rules' wasn't so easy after all. "You should probably start getting ready." She told him deciding not to make a big deal out of what just occurred.

"Oh yea, right." Lucas replied briefly forgetting his newly formed plans with Nate that he hadn't agreed to in the first place. "You sure you don't want me here?" He questioned while glancing over his shoulder to look at her. This was supposed to be their day together so he was kind of surprised that she insisted he'd go be with Nathan. A part of him wanted Peyton to ask him to stay. He thought she would have been thrilled to have him all to herself today. He wasn't even working on his novel so that he could be with her all day.

Peyton shook her head. "I'll be fine. I'll probably just sleep for a bit more and then head over to the store." She replied as she settled back into the mattress. "I kind of don't mind having some me time today anyway. It'll be nice." She added.

"Oh. Ok then." Lucas replied calmly, masking his disappointment. One minute Peyton was playing hot only to shift to cold with him. "If that's what you want." He added giving Peyton one last chance to change her mind.

"Yea Luke, have fun." Peyton gave a lazy reply before turning over to her side to go back to sleep.

Lucas frowned at her sudden dismissal , blowing out a breath as he stood up from the bed and went through the motions of collecting some clothes to change into before heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth and run some water over his face. Five minutes later Lucas was ready to go. When he reentered the bedroom Peyton was already fast asleep. He dropped a quick kiss over her forehead and left.

The second Peyton heard the front door close she threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. She wasted no time throwing on some clothes before snatching her bag on the way out of the house. As expected Haley was already stationed out front. She had been around the corner waiting for Lucas to get gone.

"Morning." Haley sounded chipper. She was clearly a morning person. "Did he suspect anything?" The brunette questioned as she passed Peyton one of the coffees she had picked up on her way over this morning.

Peyton took the cup of coffee, pulling back the plastic lid and taking a big whiff of that heavenly smell before downing a huge gulp. She clearly wasn't a morning person. "Thank you, and no he's pretty clueless though I feel kind of bad. I got the impression that he thought I was basically kicking him out of the house because I wasn't interested in spending any time with him, though really he should know me better than that."

Haley smiled. "Don't worry about that. He'll be all smiles once he finds out what's really going on." She reassured the blonde sitting in the passenger seat.

Peyton nodded firmly.

"Deb's at home with the kids and Nathan's gonna keep Lucas out of the house for as long as he can, but it probably still won't be enough time. We'll have to hustle." They had worked out the details of this little ruse yesterday while Peyton had been over the house. It was simple really, Nathan would serve as the distraction, while Haley assisted Peyton in getting everything set up for her planned dinner with Lucas.

"Sounds good. Let's do this." Peyton clipped on her seat belt, ready to go.

* * *

 ** _Tree Hill, North Carolina - September 2009_**

" _Well good morning Broody." Brooke greeted Lucas from her spot on the couch. She was sitting up, with knees bent and pressed up against her chest as she held on to her morning cup of java. "Broody number 2." She acknowledged Peyton who had exited her room and stumbled out into the living room shortly after Lucas._

" _Morning." Peyton mumbled still stuck in a sleepy haze._

" _And what a good morning it is indeed." Brooke smirked as her eyes fell over Lucas who was dressed in nothing but his boxers._

 _Peyton followed her best friend's gaze, her green eyes widening. "Lucas put on some clothes!" The blonde scolded, while her hand shot out to smack him across the chest. "And you stop ogling my boyfriend."_

 _Lucas laughed._

 _Brooke stuck out her tongue at Peyton. "Please don't get dressed on my account. You both know I'm living vicariously through your relationship these days. Being single is no fun and I'm in desperate need of eye candy. So carry on Luke, strut and flex if you must. I don't mind."_

" _Go put on a shirt at least." She ordered before returning her attention to Brooke. "And last time I checked I thought you've found some eye candy of your own. When I left Tric last night you were at the bar hanging around that bartender, what's his name again?"_

" _Owen." Lucas answered reappearing with a shirt on this time._

" _Yes Owen – thank you honey – and judging by the late hour I heard you stumbling in last night I would have thought for sure you two had finally hooked up."_

 _Brooke blew out a frustrated breath. "Well that had been the plan." She huffed._

 _It had been a little over a month since her breakup with Chase. It had been a difficult month, but slowly the brunette was back to feeling like her old self again after weeks of feeling pretty down, angry and broken. It was hard to believe that shortly after moving back home her relationship with Chase had started to break down, when honestly they had both been expecting the completely opposite. They had thought living in the same town would only strengthen their bond after spending the majority of their relationship as a long distance couple. But ironically it seemed like they had been at their best as a long distance couple. Brooke's fast paced life in New York seemed to follow her back to Tree Hill – at least work wise. Even though she was a small-town girl at heart that wasn't necessary the case when it came to her professional life. She was working just as much as she did in New York, spending her days holed up at home going over new designs, constantly on the phone with her offices in New York, LA and abroad, and she was flying out for important meetings and would disappear for days at a time._

 _Despite being in the same town they weren't spending as much time together as expected and even when they did it was usually interrupted at some point by some urgent call from the company. Pretty soon the arguments began. He complained that she worked too much and never made time for him, while she reminded him that he had always been well aware of how demanding her career was. But he had thought things would have been different once she came back home. She had told him they would be , that she was going to work less and enjoy life more, enjoy their life together. But nothing had changed. He was the one waiting around on her as usual, and while her job was exciting and fulfilling, he was just working to pay the bills and felt stuck. Brooke had felt awful because it was true, she hadn't been able to keep her promise. She had been married to her work for so long that she found it practically impossible to just slow down, plus having Victoria down your throat every five seconds didn't help either – her mother was still pissed that she had left New York without a word. She had even showed up at one point to collect Brooke and return her to New York. It hadn't gone well._

 _Things between Chase and Brooke came to a standstill the night she found out he had been called for active duty in the Air Force – he had less than a week to report to the training base in Texas. It had always been a dream of his to be a pilot and see the world. He had applied months ago, long before Brooke had decided to move back home, when their relationship had still been pretty new. He had passed all the required examinations and was accepted, and had been waiting to hear back on his departure date for basic training. Chase still had the option of changing his mind and declining. If Brooke really wanted him to stay he was willing to, otherwise it would be back to them doing long distance and him eventually getting shipped off around the world. Brooke wanted him to stay, she really did. She loved Chase so much, but even if he did stay there was no guarantee that their relationship would survive. They had been fighting so much lately that she was beginning to wonder if the long distance had blinded them from the start. Maybe they weren't as compatible as they'd thought they were. Passionate long weekends and the occasional vacation getaways together wasn't nearly enough to really know a person inside out – and that's really all they'd had._

 _Their entire relationship had been a cluster of phone calls, video chats and short visits. It was clear to see that they both wanted different things right now. Brooke had already seen the world. She had followed her dreams and it had paid off in a big way, but now she was ready to settle down and live a semi-more normal life, and she couldn't do that in New York, so she had returned to Tree Hill for that very reason. Chase on the other hand was only starting to figure out what he wanted. He was ready to see the world and go after his dreams. Despite being the same age they were both in different phases of their lives. She wasn't mad at him for it. How could she be? And she wasn't about to stop him from going after what he wanted. All she wanted for him was to be happy even if it meant without her. So she told him to go, and then she let him go. They could have stayed together and tried to make it work, but deep down they both knew they'd be saying goodbye somewhere down the road. In a weird way holding on would be much harder than giving up on each other now._

 _On his last night before leaving town Chase stopped by the house to say goodbye. It was just supposed to be a quick goodbye, but he ended up staying over and they spent one last night together. The tears poured down Brooke's face the next morning as she watched him pick up his clothes and get dressed. Chase wiped her tears and held her close. They exchanged I loves you's and kissed up until the very last second before he had to go. She was crying again as she watched him get inside his beat-up jeep and drive away from her house and out of her life. It would be a couple of weeks before she finally stopped crying. She still missed Chase like crazy and sometimes she found herself wanting to reach out, but she didn't. With the exception of one postcard he had mailed her, they hadn't spoken since the day he left town. They had both agreed to not contact each other for awhile. It was just easier this way. While Chase focused on the Air Force, Brooke had dived into her work, deciding to open a Clothes Over Bros boutique here in her hometown. And now that Brooke was newly single and lonely she figured the best way to get over Chase was to get under someone else and that's where Owen the bartender came in. She had met him at Tric, where he worked a couple of weeks ago, and he was the perfect rebound candidate. Owen was sexy, fun and hassle free. It was exactly what she needed._

" _You guys didn't hook up?" Peyton was surprised, Brooke usually got what she wanted and that list included any man she set her eyes on._

 _Brooke's hazel eyes narrowed. "I threw some of my best moves at that fool and nothing! I even used my signature move on him!" She exclaimed slightly enraged._

 _Peyton laughed. "You got naked in the backseat of his car? Wow you haven't done that since high school. And he still didn't sleep with you? That move was always like a welcome mat for dudes."_

" _I know! He is such an ungrateful little….ugh! He should be so lucky! I'm Brooke Davis!" The brunette exclaimed once more. "He must be gay. He has to be! I mean who wouldn't wanna get with this?" Brooke questioned while gesturing to herself. "And do you know what that idiot had the nerve to ask me? 'What's underneath all the clothes Brooke Davis?'" Brooke imitated in a deep voice. "Um hello me naked in the backseat of your car! That's what's underneath!" She scoffed._

" _Wait you actually did the whole naked in the backseat thing in high school? That wasn't just a rumor?" Lucas interrupted, his ears perking up at this new piece of information._

" _Oh Broody." "Oh honey." Brooke and Peyton said simultaneously while sending Lucas a pitiful look._

" _How come you've never done that for me?" Lucas nudged his elbow into Peyton's side._

" _Oh no, look at what you've started." Peyton muttered at her best friend._

 _Brooke snickered. "I'm gonna go shower. I made pancakes for breakfast if you guys want." She announced before hopping up the stairs._

" _Seriously babe do you know how sexy you'd look naked in my car." Lucas casually stated as he helped himself to the pancakes Brooke had left behind._

" _I bet." She shook her head dismissively. "I haven't had sex in a car since high school and I'm not about to start now." She teased and snatched his fork away, taking a big bite out of his pancakes._

 _Lucas pouted. "Car sex is like a rite of passage." He argued. His thumb stroked the bottom of Peyton's chin, wiping away the bit of syrup that had dribbled down there._

" _Well yea in high school when your options of places to have sex are limited."_

 _Lucas took back his fork and said nothing._

" _Oh my god. You've never had car sex have you?" She gasped as it dawned on her._

" _No." Lucas quietly grumbled as he took another bite of his breakfast._

" _Oh honey." She chuckled as she placed her hands over her mouth. "Awww." She placed a kiss over his cheek._

 _Peyton knew that Lucas had been sort of a late bloomer sexually speaking. He hadn't lost his virginity til his senior year after months of dating his high school girlfriend Anna Taggaro and then they broke up not long after that. He made up for his lack of experience in college however. Lucas had never received so much attention from the opposite sex before until he attended UNC. The ladies had flocked and he took advantage, and had dated plenty. His freshman year had been a string of casual dates with some random hook ups thrown in. By sophomore year however that had lost its appeal and he began dating more seriously, having missed the aspects of being in a committed relationship. He dated a few girls but only two of them ended up turning into long term relationships. Before Peyton, his last relationship had lasted a year and a half. They had called it quits back in March._

" _You're so cute Luke."_

" _Yea, yea…" Lucas rolled his eyes. "Does that mean we can have sex in my car?" He asked hopefully._

" _Nice try."_

 _Lucas chuckled. "Hey don't forget we have my mom's going away party this afternoon." He reminded her._

" _I remember."_

 _Karen had decided to close down the café and skip town with Lily and Andy to travel the world. The café had closed its doors for good last night, and today Haley and Lucas were throwing a little party in Karen's honor there. And though Karen's café had closed its doors for good, the space would be reopening in the near future. Brooke had purchased the space for her store and would begin remodeling the place starting next week._

" _What time do you have to meet up with Haley?"_

" _Soon." Lucas replied as he checked the time. "We gotta get some last minute stuff for the party."_

" _Need any help?"_

" _Nah, you and Brooke can just meet us there."_

" _Okay."_

 _Lucas lightly tapped his fork against his now empty plate. "So um…" He took a deep breath. "You hear from that job yet?"_

 _Peyton had recently interviewed for a paid internship at a radio station in Chicago. It wasn't exactly her dream job, but at least it still allowed her to be involved with the music industry in some way. If she got the internship she'd be part of the team that dealt with Promo Reps from record labels who were trying to get airplay for their artists' music._

" _No, but should be any day now." The blonde replied somewhat nervously._

 _They hadn't really talked about it. Peyton had told him about the interview and he of course had offered his support, had wished her good luck and had asked how it had gone afterwards, but other than that they had been tiptoeing around the issue. It had been this sort of unspoken dark cloud looming over their heads. If Peyton got the job she'd be moving on to Chicago and Lucas would be stuck here without her. If she got it, he wasn't sure what that would mean for them. They hadn't really talked about what the status of their relationship would be once she left Tree Hill and he was afraid of losing her._

 _He was hopelessly in love with this woman and he hadn't told her yet. She had no clue, and even worse was that he had no idea if she felt the same._

" _You're gonna get the job Peyt." He reassured his girlfriend even though the thought of her leaving was killing him. "I know you will."_

 _Peyton shrugged. "We'll see."_

* * *

" _Hey is everything alright?" Peyton asked as she followed Lucas out through the back of the café into the alley. "You've been kind of weird since we talked this morning."_

 _Karen's going away party had gone off without a hitch. It had been a nice gathering of friends and family with good food, music, and conversation. It had wrapped up about an hour ago and everyone else had already left, but Peyton had stayed behind with Lucas to help clean up the place._

" _I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He replied as he opened the lid of the green dumpster outside with one hand and tossed a large bag of trash inside with the other. Peyton handed over the bag of trash she was carrying and he tossed that in too._

" _You've been distant the entire afternoon." She pointed out. "With me." She placed her hands on her hips. "Something's obviously going on with you. Are you mad at me or something?" He had barely talked to her throughout the entire party, and as much as Peyton hated to admit it, they had become one of THOSE couples that were basically attached at the hip, and so his strange behavior hadn't gone unnoticed._

 _Lucas sighed stepping away from the dumpster as he dusted off his hands."Of course not." He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her and that damn internship in Chicago ever since he had brought it up this morning. He had no doubts that she would get the position and then she'd be gone. He wanted good things for Peyton, but there was that selfish side of him that hoped she wouldn't get the job. Lucas didn't want to believe that three amazing months together was all they would get._

" _But something is wrong though right?"_

" _I'm fine Peyton."_

 _The blonde stepped closer and leaned in, placing her hands over his chest. "Don't lie to me." She requested softly looking up at him with those big green eyes of hers. "Tell me what's wrong."_

 _He had been trying to avoid this discussion. He didn't want to make her feel bad about wanting this job in Chicago and he wanted to be supportive, but it was difficult to muster up any enthusiasm and it made him feel like a shitty boyfriend. Lucas observed the troubled look over Peyton's face and it made him feel even guiltier. His hands glided across the sides of her face, pulling her in so that he could kiss her. Peyton's hands twisted into the fabric of his shirt when she felt one of Lucas' hands leave her face and rest at the small of her back pressing her body closer to his before he began to step forward, leading her backwards until her back was pressed up against the exposed brick wall of the building, all the while their lips remained tightly latched on one another. Both of his hands were back on her face, his tongue ran across that warm pink fleshy lower lip of hers before capturing it between his teeth to tug and suck on._

 _A small sigh of satisfaction escaped her throat. "You're stalling." She managed to whisper with what little air she had left in her lungs after Lucas finally released her lip._

 _He let out a chuckle before pausing. "I don't want you to go." He spoke quietly finally confessing. His hands fell on her hips._

 _The expression on Peyton's face turned somber, as his words sunk in. "Lucas–"_

" _This isn't me asking you to stay." He quickly interrupted. "I would never ask you to. I know Tree Hill isn't exactly home for you anymore."_

 _For Peyton, Tree Hill was a lot of painful memories including two dead mothers and a high school shooting. Sure she had missed it sometimes while she had been away in LA, but she had never planned on returning for good. But then life threw her a curve ball and here she was. Returning home hadn't exactly been ideal, but in the end it had given her Lucas and allowed her to reconnect with her best friend after years apart. That alone had the blonde not regretting her decision to come back home. She wouldn't change a thing._

" _Lucas–"_

 _He interrupted her speech again. "I just don't want to be apart and I was thinking that maybe…I could just come with you to Chicago. I'll get a job and get my own place, and we can still be together."_

 _Peyton's eyes widened. "Lucas–"_

" _Okay I know it seems sudden and we've only been together for three months, but…I just wanna be with you. And before you say no, just think about it okay? This could work Peyton. I know it can."_

 _Peyton blew out a loud breath. "Lucas–"_

" _And I–"_

 _Having had enough of his interrupting, Peyton reached up and snapped his mouth shut with her fingers. "Would you just let me talk?!" She exclaimed and laughed in his face._

 _Lucas swallowed hard. "Sorry." He mumbled through closed lips._

 _Peyton released his mouth and placed that hand over his cheek. "I didn't get it." She informed him. "They called during the party. I stepped outside and took the call. They decided to go with someone else."_

" _Oh." Lucas replied awkwardly with pursed lips. He had just basically made a big fool out of himself for no apparent reason. "Shit I'm sorry babe. I thought for sure you'd get it." He rubbed her arm soothingly. "Those guys are idiots."_

 _Peyton shrugged. "Really it's fine. It just wasn't meant to be."_

" _You'll find something else, something better." Lucas said quickly._

" _I can't believe you were actually willing to move to Chicago." She shook her head teasingly at Lucas and chuckled._

 _Lucas shrugged slightly embarrassed. He probably should have waited on hearing whether or not she got that internship before blurting all that out. Thankfully though her laughter seemed to be an indication that Peyton hadn't been freaked out by his offer._

" _You love living here and you just started your new job with the Ravens, which you already LOVE as well. I think you're crazy for giving that up."_

" _No, the only thing that would have been crazy was me letting you go." He defended. "Would you have said no to me following you out there?" He wondered._

" _To be honest I don't know, but what I do know is that under no circumstances were you going to lose me. I still want us to be together Luke, no matter where I end up, but I don't want you moving across the country just for me either. You have a life here and I would never take that away from you. If we have to do the long distance thing so be it."_

 _He kissed her quickly. "For the record long distance sounds like a huge suckfest." He teased before dropping an additional kiss over her lips and making her giggle._

" _Yea, but think about all the hot sex we'd have every time we saw each." Peyton smirked as she trailed two fingers from his chest all the way down past his stomach until she reached his belt buckle. "All that pent up sexual frustration…"_

" _God." Lucas closed his eyes and groaned over her lips closing the gap once more. Their lips moved in sync with each others as hands tightly gripped on to flesh. Lucas suddenly pulled back. "I'm really sorry you didn't get that internship babe."_

" _Thanks honey, but honestly I'm okay with it."_

 _Lucas crinkled up a brow in question. "Really?" He sought confirmation hardly believing it._

 _Peyton took in a deep breath and then nervously blew it out. "I…um I…you know…"_

 _He chuckled at her flustered stated. "Are you okay?"_

 _She shrugged, her eyes falling to her feet as she dug the tip of her shoe into the ground. "You know what you said earlier about Tree Hill not being home for me anymore?" Her eyes shot back up to him._

 _Lucas nodded. "Yea…"_

" _Well I guess it's just kind of grown on me again this past summer. I have all these awesome memories here now and the best part about it is that I get to share them with you, so that's kind of cool…this place feels like home again. I have you here, and Brooke's back, and I really like Haley, and Nathan's not a complete ass anymore, and I love Jamie, and… I'm just really loving being back home right now. So if I'm being completely honest here, I'm not heartbroken about not getting that internship. I guess I'm not ready to leave this all behind like I thought I was."_

" _Well we'll be happy to have you for as long as you'd like." Lucas teased feeling much more relaxed than he had felt all day now. Peyton wanted to stay here with him for the time being and nothing had ever sounded sweeter._

" _Lucas do you really get what I'm trying to say here?" She still looked nervous as she bit over her bottom lip._

" _Yea that you love being back home."_

" _Yea, but you get why right?" She pressed on._

 _His eyes narrowed in uncertainty._

" _I didn't want that job because I wasn't ready to leave you behind. I didn't wanna be away from you either. This place feels like home again partly because of you Lucas." She smiled up at him and exhaled. "I love you Lucas. I'm in love with you."_

 _Lucas caught his breath in surprise, momentarily leaving him stunned. He never thought Peyton would be the one to tell him that she loved him first. She was the type of person that was constantly fighting off her vulnerability, therefore Lucas had always assumed he'd be the first one making declarations of love. He pressed his body into hers pushing her back against the building. His nose was pressed up against hers, his hands sliding over the back of her neck. "I love you too blondie." He whispered._

" _Really? I mean you're just not saying it because I did because then –" Peyton began to ramble._

 _He gently hushed her. "No I've felt this way for some time now. I just didn't know how to tell you. I was worried that you wouldn't feel the same. I didn't want to scare you off."_

 _She released a teary laugh feeling relieved. "I was scared you didn't feel the same way." She coyly admitted."I've been dying to tell you. It's been on the tip of my tongue for weeks."_

 _Lucas grinned. "You're so beautiful." He whispered._

 _Her heart swelled. "I love you."_

" _I love you." He repeated._

 _Lucas slanted his lips over hers and Peyton kissed him back with full force, not holding back whatsoever. Her arms linked around his neck pulling him impossibly close, that she could feel the muscles of his torso shift every time his body moved against hers. His tongue brushed past her teeth and met with hers, delivering long, slow, torturous strokes that had Peyton releasing desperate moans against his mouth. One of Lucas' hands slipped away from behind her neck and wormed its way underneath the brown dress that Peyton wore, stopping at her thigh. He stroked his thumb along her inner thigh, while his other fingers gripped at the rest her creamy thigh, a body part that he was all too familiar with at this point._

 _She visibly trembled from his touch, as he matched the strokes of his thumb simultaneously with those of the tongue he still had lodged in her mouth. She moaned a little louder when she felt his thumb playing dangerously close to the edge of her underwear, delivering light teasing strokes against her skin. Peyton parted her thighs slightly giving him an open invitation. She felt the sudden rush of desire that awakened every inch of her body that was begging to be explored by his hands._

" _I love you so much." Lucas mumbled against the skin of her throat where his lips had traveled down. She could feel his heavy breaths hitting her neck._

 _Peyton closed her eyes, tilting her head back as she felt Lucas slowly trail the tip of his tongue over her throat. She sighed from the tingly sensation his warm slightly ruff tongue left behind in its place. It felt so fucking good. "You better, seeing how I'm about to let you fuck me out in broad daylight in a back alley next to a fucking dumpster." She spoke roughly and moaned once more when he ran his tongue against her throat yet again._

 _Her comment had him laughing loudly. For a brief second he had forgotten where they were. Lucas pulled back to look at her. "We're not RIGHT next to the dumpster." He reasoned. The dumpster was sitting on the opposite wall from them several feet away. "I'll unlock the door and we can go back inside." He offered._

" _Not fast enough." Peyton replied before grabbing the hand on her thigh and pressing the palm of his hand firmly against her underwear allowing Lucas to feel just how wet and warm she was for him already. His fingers laced around the material and with one firm pull he ripped them instantly. "Lucas!" Peyton scolded. "Quit doing that!" He had taken to this annoying habit of ripping her underwear off, though something told her he did it mostly now to annoy her._

 _He laughed. "What?!" He said innocently. "You sounded impatient. I was just speeding up the process." He teased in a smirk and slipped her ruined underwear into his back pocket for safe keeping._

" _I'm running out of underwear no thanks to you!" She complained._

" _Don't worry I'll replace it."_

" _Yea you keep saying that, but I have yet to see any new additions to my underwear collection on your behalf."_

" _Well you see…maybe it's all part of my master plan to get you to give up on wearing any at all." He said in a seductive tone before kissing her throat._

 _She shook her head at him disapprovingly, but when his hand traveled back between her legs all notions of further reprimanding her sexy boyfriend with his oh so sexy talented hands, seemingly evaporated. The only thing that managed to tumble out of her mouth were throaty moans. Her hands left his neck and quickly worked on freeing him from his jeans to stroke him. He was already half hard. Lucas hands went to grab her waist, hoisting her up so that she could wrap her legs his waist. He had Peyton pressed back up against the wall, with one arm wrapped around her waist to holding her steady. His free hand fumbled through his pockets for a condom._

" _We don't need it anymore." Peyton panted heavily after he pulled out the condom from his pocket. She had a firm grip around his cock and had been rubbing it against her warm center like a cat in heat._

 _Lucas raised an eyebrow._

" _Today's a week since I've been back on birth control." She reminded him. "No more condoms." She bit her bottom lip and groan when Lucas' hips pressed into hers. They were both committed enough at this point that neither of them wanted to use condoms anymore._

" _No more condoms." Lucas repeated. "Thank god." He mumbled over the shell of her ear. His dick was already twitching in anticipation from the thought of being able to slide inside of her barrier-free. It had only happened that one time before, when they had made things official and it had been some of the best sex they'd ever had._

 _They were both craving it again._

 _Lucas dropped the condom on the floor and his hand went to cup the bottom of her ass. Peyton already had him already lined up at her center, ready to go. Lucas raised his hips and pushed, gliding easily inside her moistened slick walls. Peyton flexed her inner muscles clenching down on him almost immediately. He grunted in her ear and she hissed in returned when she felt his dick throbbing and twitching inside of her._

" _Move baby." Peyton urged him in a raspy voice. She had almost forgotten how good his dick felt without any protection._

 _Lucas began to work himself inside with slow shallow thrusts and while he did that Peyton took the opportunity to tighten her legs around his waist, pressing their lower halves closer. As Lucas continued his thrusts, she began to slowly grind herself against him, allowing her to apply enough pressure from his pelvic bone over her clit. She took her time, not wanting to rush, slowly building up her pleasure. Her hands were gripping at Lucas' shoulder blades as he continued to fuck her up against the wall. She still couldn't believe that they were actually doing this. Having sex out in public was a first for her. They weren't anywhere near the sidewalk that someone would be able to spot them right away, but now Lucas had started to increase his movements allowing Peyton to take him even deeper and neither of them were exactly being quiet about it. They were both fucking pretty loudly right now and should anyone happen to walk by, their sounds of mutual satisfaction would not go by unheard. It would only take a good turn of the head and said bystander would be in for quite the show._

" _Ahh.." Peyton moaned as Lucas began slamming into her a little harder. The exposed brick of the wall was digging into her back through the thin material of her cotton dress. She knew there would be fresh bruises forming across her back come morning, but she didn't mind it. It felt good. Being with Lucas had led her to discover that she liked it a little bit rough sometimes. She let her head fall against his shoulder, protecting it so that it won't bang up against the wall as Lucas kept slamming her body up against it. He was grunting ferociously in her ear every time he filled her up, her walls slick with arousal allowing him to plunge his cock in and out with such ease. She fit around him like a glove every time she contracted around his length, squeezing him so tightly that it had his eyeballs rolling towards the back of his head._

 _Peyton was barely able to catch her breath at this point. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with every quick breath of air she took in and blew out. "Luke…" She called out breathlessly as Lucas had just tilted his hips hitting a different spot inside of her that had her gasping all over again for air. She was wrapped up in arms of the man she loved and her heart had never felt fuller. He loved her back just the same and was currently doing one hell of a job showing her just how much he loved her. There was so much she wanted to tell him right now, but her brain was far too scrambled at the moment. It was hard to form coherent words when you were getting fucked within an inch of your life._

" _I know baby." Lucas whispered. "I know." He repeated before he felt her lips latch on to his and bit down hard. She didn't need to say anything else, Lucas knew exactly what Peyton was feeling because he was feeling it too. "You feel incredible." He pulled away telling her, his voice husky. "And I love you."_

" _I fucking love you more." She groaned pressing their lips together once more and resumed grinding her swollen throbbing clit against his pelvis, while Lucas' increased his own strokes. She was getting close now, her pending orgasm right around the corner, but the friction against his hips just wasn't quite enough to tip her over the edge._

 _The side of her face was pressed up against his now. She was panting heavily and delivering pleasurable sounds against his ear that only seemed to increase in volume. Lucas was an expert by now when it came to all the sounds his girl made during sex. This particular noise let him know that Peyton was close to finding her release, so naturally the blond was happy to provide the final push to get her there. The hand on her ass slid forward until it found her bundle of nerves. She yelped the second his fingers had made contact with her oversensitive nub. He ignored it and pressed down hard causing Peyton's hips to buckle wildly against his._

" _Fuck." Peyton mumbled as Lucas' fingers began to quickly rotate counterclockwise. She could feel the area below her stomach begin to tighten, coiling with such intensity, ready to snap at any second as the warming sensation from her orgasm began to take over and spread out. She felt herself growing wetter, her heat rising, her pulse racing, while her inner walls began to contract on their own around his cock. His fingers now covered with her arousal flawlessly glided around her swollen clit. Her fingernails dug into Lucas' shoulders, and her moans increased in both repetition and intensity. He flicked her clit hard and she came instantly crying loudly. Her teeth clamped down on his earlobe, attempting to muffle her screams as she felt Lucas press his palm flat over her clit and began grinding against it, helping her ride out the remains of her orgasm, as several little aftershocks of pleasure took over her now weak and over stimulated body. Her head rested over his shoulder and she tried to regain her breathing. She was so exhausted that the hold of her legs around his waist began to slip._

 _Lucas' arm over her waist tightened. "Try to hold on baby." He urged her as his other hand returned underneath her ass to hold her up, all the meanwhile his thrusting hadn't faltered. Peyton was still clenched around him, building up his release. He quickened the tempo he had going, slamming into her harder than before. She grunted along with him as he pounded her back against the wall with such force. Her lips were at his ear providing encouraging words that described how hard, hot, and thick he felt inside of her, and how badly she wanted him to come inside of her. Her breathy speech drove him mad. His hips buckled uncontrollably against Peyton's and he continued to fuck her as hard as he could. His thighs were beginning to ache and burn from holding her up and fucking in this position for this long, but thankfully he could feel his release nearing. His teeth clenched as he felt his balls tighten up and his orgasm erupted moments later. Lucas buried himself deep inside Peyton, his thrusts slowing down while his pulsing dick continued to twitch inside her as he came. He sighed in satisfaction._

 _Lucas assisted Peyton in sliding her legs off his waist and planting her feet on the ground. She leaned back against the wall for support, her legs still shaky as she smoothed down her dress. Lucas tucked himself back inside his jeans. He pressed himself against her once again, grabbing her face and kissing her deeply. Peyton murmured against his mouth, her tongue savoring the taste of him, while her toes curled inside her shoes. His kisses always left her feeling breathless and lightheaded._

 _She smiled up at him happily when his lips parted and he eyed her down with a giant grin. "My back's gonna feel like hell tomorrow." She quipped up at him._

 _He smirked and kissed her again. "I can't believe we just did that. We could have gotten caught."_

" _So worth it though." She sent him a playful wink and delivered another quick kiss._

" _C'mon I'll drive you home beautiful." Lucas draped an arm around her shoulder as he led her down the alley and out on to the sidewalk._

" _Later. Right now we have other important tasks that need tending to immediately." She announced._

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _Well…first, we're gonna get in your car and you're gonna drive us somewhere secluded, and then I'm gonna let you fuck me there."_

 _Lucas' ears perked up at once._

" _And afterwards we're gonna drive back to my place and then we're gonna have sex in my car too." Peyton turned to him sporting a smug smile. "Now how does that sound?"_

 _Lucas swallowed hard, practically choking at her suggestion. She didn't look like she was joking at all._

 _Thank god._

" _It sounds like I have the best girlfriend ever." Lucas declared quickly. "Goddammit I love you." Without another word he grabbed Peyton's hand, dragging her behind him as he quickly led them to his car._

 _It wouldn't be until years later, when they were both laying in bed one night that Peyton would confess to him that she had indeed gotten that job in Chicago. She had turned it down straight away for him, to be with him. Lucas' first reaction to the news was to laugh. He couldn't believe she had done that and even more so had managed to keep it away from him all this time. He then confessed that he was glad that she had lied, because had he known he would have made her take the job, even though what he really wanted all along was for her to stay._

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina - December 2014**

While Peyton's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving, according to Haley, Lucas' absolute favorite was Christmas. He had sort of a deep obsession for the holiday as a kid and it followed him well into his adult years, having never really outgrown it. He loved the cheesy Christmas music, the food, the drinks, the desserts, decorating the Christmas tree, the gift exchange, watching classic Christmas movies and TV specials, the hanging of stockings over the fireplace, getting to build a snowman outside (though it never really did snow in the Carolinas much), helping the kids leave out milk and cookies for Santa, and all the other stereotypical traditions that were attached to the holiday. He loved it all.

Peyton had been surprised to learn this piece of information the day before Christmas Eve. They hadn't hung up so much as one measly stocking back in their New York apartment, but then again they had both been so preoccupied with their LA trip and all the awful aftermath that followed. Lucas had not given her any indication that he was really big on celebrating Christmas. And so she had decided that she was going to give her husband the best Christmas possible even if the clock was against her. She only had a few hours to put everything together, but luckily Haley had kindly offered to take time out of her own day to help out.

The first thing they did was head out to the outskirts of town to collect a Christmas tree. It was the day before Christmas so pickings were slim, which was expected. Peyton wasn't looking for anything extravagant. In her head she kept reminding herself what her therapist had told her. What she was doing for Lucas didn't have to perfect, what really counted was the effort and the time they spent together – that was her mantra today. So she settled on a smaller tree. It was green and still had all its branches and it was good enough for her. They were on a time crunch and every second counted. After having loaded up the tree on the roof of Haley's car, the girls headed to the supermarket, running through the aisles as quickly as possible, collecting everything Peyton needed for tonight's dinner.

They raced back to Peyton's place. Haley disappeared into the garage in search of the Christmas decorations she knew had been stored there in the past, while Peyton started prepping dinner. She had decided on a simple pork roast. Haley had pretty much guaranteed that as long as Peyton followed the instructions and cooked the roast slowly in the oven for a couple of hours, it would come out both moist and delicious. She quickly prepared a mixture of oil olive, rosemary, oregano, salt, black pepper and fresh garlic. She then cut small slits into the pork loin like Haley had instructed. After that Peyton took the mixture she had prepared and coated the pork with it, making sure to get a good amount of it in-between the slits she had created. When she was done, she covered the roast and placed it in the fridge so that it could marinate for a bit before placing it in the oven. As she washed up, Peyton smiled to herself feeling slightly accomplished and silently thanking Haley for providing such an easy recipe. Hopefully it would turn out good, though Haley had already reassured her countless times that it would, but Peyton couldn't help but worry. Even though she didn't need things to be perfect for Lucas, she still wanted them to be.

By the time Peyton finished up in the kitchen, Haley was already in the living room pulling out all the decorations she could find. Together they divided and conquered decorating every corner of the house. They returned to the car and got the tree down, bringing it inside and setting it up in the living room.

"Alright I better get going." Haley announced after they had finished decorating the Christmas tree. "I need to get back and help Deb finish up our own dinner for tonight. You are set here?" She asked as she watched Peyton slide the pork roast inside the oven.

Peyton closed the oven and turned to face her. "Yea I can handle the rest. All I have left to do is make the side dishes while the meat is cooking." The blonde replied. "Thank you so much Haley. I couldn't have done this without you."

"My pleasure. And stop worry okay? Lucas is gonna love this. You did really great Peyton."

The women embraced.

"Oh and just a fair warning, Luke is probably gonna be in a mood when he gets back." Haley warned. "I just got a text from Nate and it appears that Lucas is pretty peeved that Nathan has kept him out all day." They both chuckled. "Honestly I don't know how Nathan has managed to keep Lucas out of the house for this long."

Peyton blew out a breath. "Oh god I'm nervous. What if he hates it?" Her tone was full of worry while she nervously began to toy with her hands.

"Stop it." Haley sent her a firm look. "He is going to love this. It's two of his favorite things wrapped in one, Christmas and you. He's gonna have that stupid grin of his plastered over his face for days. I can promise you that."

Peyton nodded as she tried to suppress the nerves currently boiling at the pit of her stomach.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow at the house okay?"

"Yea, see you then. Merry Christmas Haley."

"Merry Christmas Peyton."

* * *

Lucas was in a foul mood by the time he made it back to the house late that afternoon. He was pretty pissed at his brother and all the time he had caused him to waste today. He was only supposed to be gone for a couple of hours in the morning and somehow that had turned into several hours. He hoped Peyton wasn't too upset that he had gone missing for so long. They were supposed to make Christmas Eve dinner together.

His day had gotten to a rough start the minute he had arrived at the river court to meet Nathan. He was still a tad thrown off by Peyton's slight brush off this morning and when he got to the river court Nathan was a no show. Lucas had arrived right on time so he called Nathan to check in. The first few calls went unanswered and when Nathan finally did pickup he informed Lucas that he was running a bit late, but insisted that he was only five minutes away and would be arriving soon. Five minutes turned into ten, then fifteen, then twenty and so on. Nathan finally showed his ass nearly forty-five minutes later and the blond became even more agitated as he watched his brother casually stroll up to the river court without a care in the world and offering zero apologies.

It only got worse from there.

What Lucas had assumed would be a quick run with his brother had turned into a six mile run. He was winded by the end of it since he hadn't been working out at all since Peyton's accident. After that Nathan had insisted they get something to eat because he was starving. Lucas grudgingly agreed only because he had skipped out on breakfast himself this morning. Then it took Nathan a whole twenty minutes to decide where he wanted to eat, which was ridiculous considering that this was the same guy who considered McDonald's to be suitable dining establishment. When they were seated at the burger joint Nathan had picked, he then took his sweet ass time deciding on what to eat, and when they finally did get their food, Nathan was eating slower than a sloth. By this point Lucas really wanted to punch his little brother in the face.

After lunch they hit the court and played a few rounds of one-on-one, until Lucas put the breaks on it, insisting that it was getting late and he needed to get home to Peyton. Nathan then complained that his truck had been making some weird noises and he asked Lucas to take a look. Wanting to get home already, Lucas offered to take a look at it tomorrow instead, but then Nathan managed to guilt trip him claiming that what if something happened to the car while he was riding with the kids inside. Lucas could only roll his eyes in reply, but took a look at the car anyway. Lucas inspected the car finding nothing wrong with it. The truck was running just fine and there were no weird transmission noises to speak of, but Nathan insisted that he check again.

He made Lucas check the car three times.

When Nathan suggested that he check a fourth time, Lucas had just about had enough. He yelled out a few choice words at his little brother – words that should not be uttered in the presence of small children – and then got in his car and drove the hell home, leaving a dumbfound Nathan behind on the basketball court.

Lucas stomped angrily towards his house. It was Christmas Eve and he was supposed to be relaxing and enjoying the holidays with his wife like he did every year, but instead he was tired, upset, and could honestly care less whether they made a quick dinner or ordered takeout at this point. He normally loved the month of December, always had since he was a kid, but this year had delivered him one of the worst Decembers he had ever experienced. It had been filled with nothing but painful, stressful, and angry moments. Memories he hoped to forget. He was ready for the New Year. He wanted to start fresh and forget all the bad shit that had fallen upon him and Peyton this year. He wanted to forget it all.

He came through the front door of the house angrily slamming it behind him. The first thing that Lucas noticed was the faint sound of Christmas music being played throughout the house. The blond paused recognizing the song that was currently playing, it was 'The Christmas Song' by Nat King Cole, one of his favorites. Then he noticed the delicious aroma of food wafting through the air. It smelled heavenly.

"Lucas is that you?"

He heard Peyton's hurried steps as she quickly padded down the hall and came into view. She smiled up at him. "I was wondering when you'd finally get home." She was dressed in sweats and a t-shirt with a red apron tightly fastened around her waist. He noticed however that her makeup and hair were done.

"Did you…cook?" He spoke looking rather stunned.

Peyton laughed. "Yea I'm making Christmas Eve dinner for you silly."

His mouth slightly gaped as he continued to stare. "Really?" He said skeptically.

"Yes, but if you keep that up I'm gonna start to get offended." She teased.

Luca shook his head quickly snapping out of it. "Sorry…it's just…"

Peyton chuckled. "Yea I know…but I wanted to do something nice for you Luke. I heard through the grapevine that Christmas is kind of your thing." She reached out offering her hand to him. "Come with me." Lucas slowly nodded taking her petite hand into his large one. She led Lucas into the living room. "So what do you think?" She said turning to face him.

Lucas took a moment, taking in his surroundings. There were Christmas decorations spread throughout the living room. A giant wreath hung above the fireplace mantel, while a couple of giant red stockings were hanging right below it. There was a quaint little tree sitting in a corner of the room, decorated from head to toe already containing a few wrapped presents tucked underneath it. There were also a bunch of other holiday knickknacks and such around the room. The room was glowing from an assortment of red and white candles that were lit up and spread across the room.

It actually felt like Christmas in here.

It was perfect.

"I tried to get the fireplace going, but I gave up preferring not to burn down our house." She teased.

Lucas' gaze returned over at Peyton. "I can get it going." He promised as his lips slightly curved up. "When did you find the time to do all this?" He said in awe.

"Kind of an all day affair and I had some help." She admitted. "Haley helped and so did…Nathan."

"Nathan?" Lucas said incredulously. His brother had been with him all day.

Peyton smirked. "Well how else was I supposed to get you out of the house?"

Lucas scoffed in surprise, which was then followed by a chuckle. "So that's what that was today." He mused. "He was a bit out of character today even for him." He shook his head and smiled. "You went through all this trouble for me babe?" Suddenly her brush off from this morning made sense.

"I wanted to do something nice for you." She repeated. "You deserved it after everything you've done for me." She said quietly.

All the tension Lucas felt from today immediately rushed out of him. It was replaced with good feelings of pure joy and affection. "You didn't have to do that." He said softly.

"I wanted to."

"I love it."

Peyton grinned, feeling relieved at hearing those three little words. She moved in closer to hug him.

"I smell." He warned as she stepped closer. He was a little ripe from all the running around and playing ball. She wrapped her arms around him anyway not seeming to care. He smelled like a mixture of sweat and his own manly scent. It was actually kind of sexy. She pulled back, but Lucas kept her close, his hands fell on each side of her hips and in return she looped her arms around his neck. "What's for dinner? It smells amazing in here."

"Roasted pork tenderloin."

"Oh god." Lucas groaned, his mouth already watering in anticipation.

Peyton giggled at this reaction. "And then just some mashed potatoes and sautéed string beans with garlic." She added.

"All of that sounds amazing. It's perfect. You're perfect." His hands rubbed the sides of her hips. "Thank you."

"Are you happy?" She wondered.

"Are you kidding me? Christmas with my girl. This is exactly what I wanted." Lucas quickly pressed his lips over Peyton's followed by another quick kiss over her forehead. "You're the best." He whispered while giving her another hug.

Peyton was too stunned at the moment to say anything back. Even though it had been a quick peck of the lips, Lucas had just kissed her and she almost passed out right there. Her body temperature had risen and she hoped to god that there were more kisses to come later in the evening – preferably the passionate kind that made her toes curl and her eyes roll to the back of her head. She inwardly cursed at herself for not investing in some mistletoe. That would have been fun. What a rookie mistake on her part.

"Well I'm gonna go finish getting dinner set up. How 'bout you go shower and put on something nice okay?" She told him as her hands played with the collar of his tee.

"Yes ma'am." Lucas playfully saluted her. "Sure I can't help with anything?" He offered.

Peyton shook her head. "Nope. I've got this handled. You just go get all handsome for me." She teased causing an immediate grin across Lucas' face.

* * *

Lucas reappeared thirty minutes later. He had put on a blue button-down that really brought out his eyes and a pair of dark blue jeans. His hair was in its signature messy style and he hadn't bothered with shoes, padding into the kitchen barefoot. The roast was almost ready and Peyton was busy mashing the potatoes into a large bowl. He noticed the table was already set and then he came up behind Peyton, surprising her. She hadn't heard him over the music. He brushed Peyton's blonde curls off her left shoulder before placing a warm kiss on that shoulder as his hands went to rest on her hips. Her heart skipped a beat at his sweet affections. "You sure I can't help with anything?" He questioned, his chin resting over her shoulder as he watched her mash the potatoes. With his hands still on her hips, he gently swayed their bodies to the tempo of the soft music playing in the background.

"Yes, you can sit back and relax." Peyton replied turning her face to look at him. She playfully nudged him off and guided him to his chair. "Here you go." She handed him the glass of scotch she had poured out for him earlier, adding one ice cube just the way Lucas liked it. Nathan hadn't been helpful with coming up with ideas the way Haley had been, but he did know how his brother took his drinks.

"Thanks sweetheart." Lucas took the glass she offered. He sat at his seat and watched her finish preparing the potatoes before getting started on the string beans. Lucas got up at one point and opened a bottle of red wine, pouring the blonde a glass and handing it to her. Peyton was done about fifteen minutes later, covering both dishes to keep them warm and placing them on the table.

"I'm gonna go get dressed. I should be back in time to pull out the roast, but if the timer goes off before I get back can you do it?"

"Of course."

Peyton grabbed her wine to take with her. "I'll be quick."

"Hey!" Lucas jumped out of his seat and raced to her. "You know…" He began with a grin. "…since I got all handsome for you, maybe you can put on something a little sexy for me?" He said coyly as he played with the strings of her apron. "Like that green dress you have hanging in the closet that I really like? It's been ages since you wore it. You always look gorgeous in it."

Peyton smirked up at him. "I'll see what I can do." She had no idea what dress he was referring to, but you bet your ass she was about to tear down that closet until she found it. Peyton placed a sweet kiss over his right cheek before heading to their room.

It didn't take long for her to find it. It was the only green dress hanging in the closet. At first glance there didn't appear to be anything unique about this particular dress that Lucas liked. It was a simple long sleeved dress in an emerald green color that was guaranteed to bring out her eyes. She wasn't sure why Lucas thought this dress was so sexy. It was pretty conservative in her opinion considering both her chest and back wouldn't be exposed at all. When Peyton put it on however, she realized it was a mini dress. It was cut low and it put her long legs on display nicely.

Now she got it.

Lucas had a thing for her legs.

Thankfully she had shaved and moisturized them today.

She quickly pulled out some heels, slipped them on and did one last mirror check before heading back out to the kitchen. She found Lucas in his chair, nursing his drink, while he hummed along to another Christmas song.

When Peyton stepped into the kitchen, his eyes widened and his face broke out into a massive grin. "You look amazing." He complimented already out of his seat and standing in front of her in record time. "I love this dress on you." He mumbled as his eyes scanned her body, while paying special attention to her legs.

Peyton blushed hard. "Stop." She mumbled while shaking her head. Lucas hadn't paid this much attention to her physical appearance since LA. He had been all over her then and god did it feel good now.

"You're beautiful." He said delivering another compliment happily ignoring her request. He pulled Peyton close and kissed her quickly much like he had done earlier in the living room.

It wasn't exactly the passionate kiss she had been hoping for, but she'd take it. This time she leaned in and pressed their lips together for another brief kiss. Lucas smiled down at her, stroking her left cheek with his thumb. He bent down to kiss her once more, but then the timer decided to go off, interrupting all the progress they were making with their lips, much to Peyton's dismay.

When Lucas pulled away from her, she huffed, much like a child would when they didn't get their way. With that moment ruined, Peyton told Lucas to go sit down while she got the roast out of the oven. She set it on the table and Lucas sliced it up for them nicely.

Peyton looked down at her plate. She became nervous again. She really hoped the meal was edible.

"This looks great babe. Thank you."

"I just hope it taste as good as it looks." She teased, taking a large gulp of her wine. She watched Lucas lift his fork and she followed suit, stabbing a piece of the roast with her fork and shoving it into her mouth. She chewed slowly and swallowed, expecting the absolute worst. "Oh my god…" Peyton's eyes widened. "This is so good!" She announced rather loudly.

Lucas laughed. "It's good, really good." He nodded in agreement.

"I made this!" Peyton exclaimed excitedly practically jumping out of her seat. "I did!" She said while gesturing between herself and the food. "I am a food genius." She declared as she took another bite of her meat along with some of the veggies. "Top Chef here I come." She joked.

Lucas laughed over. He loved seeing her like this again. It was a glimpse of the old Peyton he hadn't seen in quite some time. The girl that got excited when she accomplished something – anything – no matter how big or small the accomplishment. She had always taken great pride in tackling something she wasn't necessarily a pro at. He wanted her to be excited about things like this again every day.

"You did good babe." He spoke earnestly and took another bite of his dinner.

Peyton was happily enjoying the meal she had prepared. "Honey I think its official, I'm a better cook than you." She mumbled with a mouthful of food.

His breath got caught in his throat. Lucas looked over at her with a small smile.

"What?" She inquired noticing the odd stare he was sending her.

"You just called me honey."

"Oh." Peyton swallowed hard. "Sorry, should I not have? It just kind of came out." She hadn't even realized she had used that term of endearment until Lucas pointed it out, but it had felt pretty natural to call him that for some reason. Maybe that's why she had said it – because it felt so oddly familiar.

"No actually you've always called me that." Lucas was still smiling. "I just haven't heard you say it in so long." He explained. "It's nice. I've missed it." He then admitted.

"Good to know." Peyton said softly as she pursed her lips into a smile.

* * *

After dinner they moved into the living room. Lucas got the fireplace going, while Peyton collected a couple of blankets and pillows and laid them out on the floor. When Lucas sat down to join her she handed him a cup of eggnog.

"Haley brought it over."

"Awesome." He loved Haley's eggnog. It always packed a punch. "I'd sip slowly." He advised Peyton. She had already gulped half her cup down. "It's the kind of drink that bites you in the ass later."

Peyton giggled. "Whoops already finished it!" She announced showing him her empty cup.

Lucas smirked. "I can see the rum is already kicking in." He teased. "Haley does a good job of masking the alcohol. Last year my mom was home for the holidays and we spent it over at Haley's and she got smashed. She didn't realize how much rum Haley adds in. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I had never seen my mom drunk before." Lucas began to laugh as memories from last year flooded his mind.

"Well there's plenty more in the fridge." She kicked off her heels before standing up to go refill her cup.

When she returned Lucas grabbed her hand pulling her down so that she was situated between his legs. Peyton leaned back bringing her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin over her shoulder. "Tonight was great babe. Thank you. I really appreciated it. I appreciate you." He pressed a kiss on her cheek and then another one on the side of her neck. "Best Christmas we've had just the two of us in a long time."

Peyton slightly trembled from his kisses. She released a happy sigh and let her head fall back on his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me that you loved Christmas so much?" She questioned. "We could have done more."

Lucas shrugged. "I dunno, didn't seem as important as everything else going on in our lives right now. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." He replied. "Focusing on you was more important."

"That's sweet Luke, but I don't want you to think that I'm the only important person in this relationship. I wanna focus on you too. I want to get to know you better. I want to get to know us better as a couple."

She could feel him silently nodding against her skin.

"Sounds like a plan."

Peyton smiled. "Good." She snuggled further into his embrace, while the heat emitting from the fireplace warmed their skin. She felt Lucas apply another well placed kiss on the side of her neck. The scruff on his face tickled her skin causing her to giggle.

"I really do love this dress on you." He whispered in her ear. His hands had fallen over her bare thighs, his fingers lightly drumming against her porcelain skin.

"Clearly I need to wear it more often." She concluded, speaking in a playful tone. She placed her hands over his, linking their fingers together.

Lucas spoke quickly. "Fine by me."

"Jeans are overrated anyway."

He scoffed. "You're telling me. I'm burning all your damn jeans in this fireplace."

They both laughed.

"Merry Christmas sweetheart." He said softly and then started to hum along to the Christmas music that was still playing in the background.

"You too honey."

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Please share your thoughts!

Until next time.


	31. Good News For People Who Love Bad News

*****So it was brought to my attention that there are some issues with accessing this chapter? (which is odd because I know it was viewable before since I already received a couple of reviews). But anyway I deleted the chapter and reposted it. Hopefully that should fix the problem. So for those who weren't able to read it the first time around here you go! And for those who already did sorry for the repost, I know it's super annoying. Thanks guys!*****

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Reviews

 **Annie** – I always try to throw in some supporting characters when I can, just to make things interesting! Even though Leyton is obviously the main focus of this fic, there are just so many OTH characters that I love and enjoy, so having them featured even if it's just for one scene is always fun for me to write.

 **itsnjm1** – Thank you and thanks for reading!

 **Tpassions** – Peyton and Lucas are getting closer now. This is the strongest they've been so far in the story, so a little physical closeness might be just around the corner! Stay tuned. I'm glad I'm able to brighten your day a little with a chapter while you're at home recovering! As always I'm very thankful for your support. I love getting your reviews.

 **S. Jamedra** – Just sit back and enjoy this blissful state please! There's a lot more happy to go around for the time being, trust me.

 **thibbs65** – I'm glad Peyton's surprise was really well received. I didn't want it to be anything too extravagant, just wanted to create a moment that came from the heart and that Lucas could appreciate.

 **jordana60** – Yea every now and then I love implanting a few moments or lines from the show. There's a nugget or two of that in this chapter as well. And yes they were starting to struggle as a couple even before Peyton's accident, but things are starting to turn around for these two. It's all tragic and heartbreaking, but on the bright side they are now focusing on creating new memories together and aren't letting who they were in past ruin the present.

 **B** – Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you.

 **leyte** – Yea having Nathan stall Lucas all day was kind of hilarious. I thought about actually writing that scene out in more detail, but the chapter was already so damn long so it just didn't make the cut!

 **Mufc87** – So happy you thought that moment was perfect for them. I think we were long overdue for some Leyton fluff.

 **Guest** – There's some more Haley and Peyton scenes in this chapter for you to enjoy!

 **Guest** – Yes Peyton remembered a tiny bit, even if consciously she didn't realize it. It's still a win though! Also, we get quite a few supporting characters in this chapter! Hope you like it.

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Chapter 31: Good News For People Who Love Bad News

A few days after Christmas, Peyton found herself entering through the doors of Tric sometime after lunch. Being that it was the middle of the day the club itself was closed, but the blonde had come to meet up with Haley so that she could get a tour of Red Bedroom Records. Lucas had playfully kicked her out of the house this afternoon while he continued to work on finishing up his novel since his deadline was fast approaching. He had teased Peyton claiming that technically she was still his _sugar mama_ and that it was time for her to bring home the bacon again.

And so Lucas had suggested that Peyton go check out her record label and she agreed not wanting to distract him. They had been pretty much inseparable these last couple days and she knew that he really needed to put in some solid hours of work. They had spent the remainder of their Christmas Eve cuddled up by the fire, listening to music, sharing stories, and exchanging a few more innocent kisses. The next morning Lucas was literally like a kid on Christmas, wide-eyed and sporting the biggest of smiles. He'd woken her up at an absurd hour – it was barely dawn - and proceeded to drag her out of bed so that they could open presents. Peyton thought his animated behavior was absolutely adorable even if he had pulled her out of bed without so much as offering a cup of coffee first. After exchanging gifts and enjoying a nice breakfast together, they got ready for the day, loaded up the car with their presents for the other Scott clan, and then headed over to Naley's where they spent the entire day playing with the kids.

"So this is your office…" Haley announced, dramatically throwing her hands in the air after opening the front door of Red Bedroom Records and stepping aside to let Peyton pass. "What do you think?" She asked with a huge grin.

Peyton took a good look around at the space, soaking it all in. "This place is amazing. So cool." Her large green eyes scanned the gorgeous exposed brick walls and the large stained glass windows. There was a large circular window in particular that immediately caught her eye with the stained glass being various shades of blue, green and white. It was beautiful. Near it were various album covers from some of her favorite bands and artists lining up the wall. There were a couple of books shelves filled up with record albums and even more music sitting in several milk crates around the room. There were a few pieces of furniture: a funky looking orange seat, two green chairs, a pool table, a maroon couch, and a faded metal desk which she assumed was her work space. Other items that filled the room were a black piano, several large speakers and other audio equipment. One side of a wall had a painted image of the Red Bedroom Records logo, a black background with the image of a black silhouette standing though a blood red doorway. Another wall held two large black picture frames. One holding another image of the label, this one was different with a red background and a simple black outline of a bed. The other frame hanging right above it held a drawing of Peyton, much to her surprise.

"Hey that's my mom's drawing." The blonde stated recognizing it immediately. It was a black and white drawing of her with black angel wings. She could remember the image vividly. She had dressed up like the angel of death for Halloween her senior year of high school. The same year she had met her birth mother for the first time and discovered that she was adopted. "Ellie drew that." Peyton quickly walked across the room until she reached the frame. "Friends with Benefits?" She read out loud before turning her head back and looking over at Haley with a confused expression while she waited for an explanation.

"It's a benefit album you put together for breast cancer research." Haley answered. "You dedicated it to Ellie. It did really well."

Peyton swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat. Her eyes turned glossy as she continued to stare at the album cover hanging on the wall.

Haley placed a hand over the blonde's shoulder and squeezed. "She would have been really proud."

Peyton released a teary sigh. "Think I could get a copy, so I could listen to it?"

"Of course." Haley spoke softly. "I'm sure you already have one at the house, but I'll get you another just in case."

Just then the front door was pulled open rather loudly. "Merry Christmas bitches! I'm back!" Brooke poked her head through, gleefully announcing her arrival.

Both Haley and Peyton turned their heads in Brooke's direction.

With pursed lips, Brooke's mouth pulled to one side and displayed a frown of confusion. "Geez who died?" She said rather obnoxiously noticing the somber expression on both women.

Haley's expression swiftly transformed into a wide-eyed look. She tried shaking her head at Brooke as discreetly as possible – basically telling the brunette to shut the hell up.

"What?" Brooke replied in annoyance when they failed to respond, clearly not picking up on the cues.

Haley rolled her brown eyes.

* * *

After giving Peyton a quick tour of the recording studio and the back offices, the three friends exited the office and sat at the bar. Some of Tric's staff had already started to trickle in to start setting up for tonight. It was Thursday, so it was pretty much a guarantee that the club would be packed this evening.

"By the way loving the new hair B." Peyton commented.

Brooke had returned from LA with a shorter hairstyle. Her long straight locks had been replaced with a cut that fell just above her shoulders. Her hair was styled in loose waves with medium-length bangs that were swept to the side. "You don't think it looks too mom-ish right? I'm far too young for a mom haircut. " Brooke questioned turning to Haley.

Haley scoffed slightly offended. "Why are you asking me that?!"

"Well if the shoe fits…" Brooke muttered under her breath.

"I do not have a mom haircut!" Haley crumpled up a napkin and threw it at Brooke's head, and Brooke stuck out her tongue before throwing the napkin back at Haley in retaliation.

Peyton burst out laughing at the childish exchange. She then felt her phone buzz and checked it. It was a text from Lucas. A few minutes ago she had sent him a picture with her and the girls making goofy faces at her desk with the caption ' _Hard at work. Xoxo, Your sugar mama'_

Lucas had replied with a selfie at his own desk. He had a hand raised up to his temple, his fingers mimicking a handgun, while sporting an exaggerated look of exhaustion on his face with his tongue slightly peeking out of the side of his mouth. _'Redefining the term a little hard work never killed anyone. Hope you're having fun with the girls. Miss you.'_

Peyton smiled and put her phone away just as one of the bartenders reappeared with their drink orders.

"Funny I don't remember ordering bad Italian." Brooke snarked as soon as Owen set the glass of water she ordered in front of her.

"Always a pleasure Davis." Owen replied completely unperturbed. "I just know how much you've missed this face." He added smugly.

Brooke choked on her water. "Ha!" She snorted. "In your dreams."

"Welcome back Peyton." Owen turned to the blonde completely ignoring Brooke's remark. "We've missed you around here."

Peyton gave him a sad smile. "Sorry I…"

"This is Owen." Haley quickly chimed in.

"Not that it's absolutely crucial for you to remember him." Brooke quipped.

Owen rolled his eyes before refocusing on Peyton. "I heard what happened. I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks." She said softly.

Owen sent her a playful wink.

"Stop flirting with the owner's son's wife." Brooke spoke. "You're beneath her."

"But apparently you were good enough to be underneath me huh?" He retorted.

Brooke scowled.

Haley snickered.

And Peyton's mouth dropped. "Wait. Hold up. You two used to be a thing?!" She exclaimed loudly.

Things were starting to get a lot more interesting around here.

"Yes."

"No."

The couple in questioned replied at the same time.

Brooke blew out a breath. "Puh-lease, I've had longer relationships with the alcohol in my liquor cabinet. We were barely a thing." She defended.

Owen chuckled. "If that's your story."

"It is." Brooke abruptly stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta pee like a racehorse. The babies are really doing a number on my bladder."

"Ah so that explains it…" Owen gave her a glance over. "I thought you were looking a little plump there. Congrats Davis."

Brooke tilted her head to the side, sending him an unpleasant look and flipped him the bird.

"Send my regards to your baby daddy!" Owen yelled out as Brooke rushed off to the bathroom.

Peyton burst out laughing. "I take it, it didn't end well?" She asked curious about Brooke's past relationship with the bartender.

Owen grinned. "Not particularly, but that was all on me. Brooke's a great girl, but I just wasn't ready to commit back then." He explained. "We're good now though."

"Oh you don't say?" Peyton said rather dryly after having witnessed that display.

He gave her a hearty laugh. "Yea this is just the way we get along now. Snide remarks are just kind of our thing."

Peyton looked over at Haley who nodded confirming. "I know, it's weird." Haley added.

"Interesting…" Peyton spoke shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh my god Peyton!" A voice screeched from across the room.

Everyone's head flipped back towards the club's entrance. Standing there was a girl with long dark hair and a guitar case strapped over her right shoulder. Standing to the brunette's left was a man with dark features and an olive complexion. They were holding hands. The girl shoved her guitar in the man's hands and made a mad dash towards the bar.

"I'm so glad you're back!"

Peyton struggled to breathe as the girl had thrown her arms around the blonde and was practically on top of her.

"Mia!" Haley spoke through laughter. "You're smothering her."

"Whoops, sorry." Mia reluctantly pulled back. "It's about time you show your ass around here." She said in a reprimanding tone. "I desperately need you back here. Hales is a total slave driver. She's killing me." Mia vocalized rather dramatically, though it was fairly clear that her words weren't meant to be taken seriously.

"Hey!" Haley cried out.

Mia offered up a tight lipped smile and raised her brows playfully at Haley.

"Peyton this is Mia Catalano. She's signed with the label." Haley introduced while shaking her head at Mia, who was still busy taunting her with her eyebrows.

"The very first person you signed actually." Mia corrected. "Which practically makes me family." She threw an arm around Peyton and the other around Haley bringing them in for a huddle. "The three musketeers are back at it again." The brunette added with much enthusiasm. "Or does the three amigas sound better?" Mia paused getting lost in her own thoughts.

Peyton shook her head with a smile. "It's nice to meet you Mia." She had recognized the name as soon as Haley had said it, remembering that Lucas had mentioned Mia once before.

Mia released a heavy sigh. "Sorry, I forgot." She said sheepishly remembering that Peyton had no idea who she was anymore.

"Hey it's cool, don't worry about it."

"Oh this is Chase." Mia motioned to her boyfriend who had finally made it to the bar with her guitar case still in hand.

Peyton greeted him with a nod of the head. "I take it we've probably met before?" She teased.

Chase smiled and nodded. "Yea we've known each other for years actually. It's good to see you Peyton."

"Well, well, well…" Brooke had returned from her trip to the bathroom. "Another blast from my past. It's like a parade of ex-boyfriends in here." She teased. "Next thing you're gonna tell me is that Felix is here." She added with a grimace as she thought of her former high school flame.

"Hi Brooke." Chase hugged her.

"Don't worry Chase, you've always been my favorite out of all my ex-boyfriends." She sent him a flirty wink, playfully patted his chest, and then took her seat before glaring at Owen with her eyes to let him know that he clearly wasn't the favored ex.

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Uh standing right here." Mia spoke deadpanned.

"Oh c'mon Mia, that's such old news." Brooke waved her hand dismissively. "He's all yours."

"Gee thanks." Mia shook her head managing a small smile.

"Wait is there anyone at this bar who you haven't dated?" Peyton said amusingly.

Haley was about to open her mouth.

"Don't you dare answer that." Brooke snapped making everyone laugh.

"I think the real mystery is try finding someone in this town who Brooke Davis hasn't hooked up with at one point." Haley quipped unable to resist.

"Oh no I've got an even better one!" Peyton eagerly broadcasted after taking a sip of her drink. "I challenge you to find a boy from high school that did not lose his virginity to Brooke Davis."

"Daaamn." Both Chase and Owen blurted out at the same time over Peyton's jab.

Everyone laughed, while Brooke's jaw dropped, eyes narrowing down at her soon-to-be former best friend.

"Oh, ohhh….good one." Haley wiped some tears off her face from laughing so hard.

"What is this? Throw Brooke under the bus day?" She said dramatically. Her eyes then narrowed down at Haley, who was red in the face and still laughing hysterically. A devilish smirk appeared across the brunette's features. "Well since we're talking about virginities...need I remind you tutor wife that your husband lost his virginity to goldilocks over here. Also didn't he make out with your sister Taylor first before he even met you?"

Peyton choked on her drink and Haley was no longer laughing.

"Daaamn!" Chase and Owen vocalized yet again.

"You girls are crazy." Owen shook his head and began wiping down the bar.

"Man I wish I had gone to high school with you guys." Mia mumbled under her breath. "Sounds like a real shit show I would have loved to watch."

"Well played Davis, well played." Peyton conceded throwing her hands up in defeat, meanwhile Haley sulked from her seat.

"Bow down bitches." Brooke said smugly as if she were Beyoncé herself. "I've gotta go. Julian's waiting for me at home." She hopped off her stool and grabbed her silver purse. "Peyton come over tomorrow okay? I have something for you."

Peyton nodded. "I'll call you."

"Cheer up Hales." Brooke winked over at her good friend. "I'm out!" She announced leaving the bar area.

"Five months pregnant and she's still slaying it in those heels." Mia mused to the rest of the group. "You go girl."

Everyone turned their heads and watched Brooke gracefully strut her way out of Tric much like a model would dominate the runway at a fashion.

"It's a gift." Haley commented.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

After spending some time at the bar getting to know Haley and Mia a little better over a drink or two, Peyton returned home a few hours later. It had been nice to get in some girl time to gossip and such, even if it was with two ladies she barely knew, but much to the blonde's surprise it hadn't been that difficult to bond with them. She was able to fall into the conversation rather smoothly, like they had been doing this for years – which if you wanted to get technical they had been. They had all been friends for years. The camaraderie was there. Peyton mostly certainly had felt it even if she couldn't remember it. Haley was a sweetheart, while Mia was this awkward/quirky ball of energy that Peyton found impossible not to love. Mia felt like a little sister to her, someone she couldn't help but want to look after, guide and protect. She wondered if that was the kind of relationship they had shared in the past. She would have to inquire that information from Haley at a later date.

But now she was home. She was coming home to her man and as much fun as hanging out at Tric had been this afternoon, Peyton had missed him, and she couldn't wait to see that handsome face of his and the smile that was guaranteed to come with it.

Peyton bypassed the front door and headed up to the side of the house instead knowing that Lucas would most likely still be working in their home office. Not bothering to knock she twisted the knob and opened the door. "Hey I'm …"

Her train of thought trailed off the second she swung the door open revealing a visibly irate Lucas hurling a book across the room. The hardcover went flying through the air at full speed until it made contact with one of the framed pictures hanging off the wall. The frame shattered instantly sending pieces of glass flying across the wooden floorboards beneath their feet. "…ho-me." Peyton both slowly and awkwardly finished her sentence. She frowned at once.

Lucas looked over, his eyes widening some, clearly surprised to see her standing there, but other than that the frustration on his face did not dissipate. Both of his fists were tightly clenched, his face appeared heated, his hair was an absolute mess, and there was a very visible thick vein throbbing over his forehead. It was a little terrifying to see him like this. The only other time Peyton had ever seen Lucas this distressed was during their fight in LA and he didn't even look half as scary then as he did now.

"Are you okay?" Peyton left the doorway stepping further into the room.

Lucas angrily shook his head. He was anything but okay right now.

She walked straight up to him and placed her delicate hands over his shoulders hoping to calm him. "What's going on?" Her eyebrows furrowed with worry causing small creases to appear on her forehead. "Luke." She pleaded urging him to say something, anything.

Lucas looked down at her, his nostrils flaring. She then noticed for the first time that his hands were shaking.

She could only wonder what the hell had him in this state. He hadn't said a word.

Peyton looked into his eyes and spoke sweetly. "Honey."

It did the trick. Lucas' hard face slightly softened, though his anger was still unmistakably present. He sighed loudly before unclenching one of his fists to show her something. It had been clutching on to a now very crumbled piece of paper. Lucas motioned for her to take it and she did.

Peyton did her best to smooth out what appeared to be a letter. Lucas stepped away from her and began to pace around the room as she read it. The color drained from Peyton's face. She looked back up at Lucas, her heart instantly breaking for him. "Oh Luke…" She began shaking her head sadly. "This isn't right." She knew the information in this letter was devastating news for him. She really couldn't blame Lucas for the anger that was currently emitting throughout his entire body. This was a chapter in his life that was supposed to be done and over with and now he was being forced to revisit it. Revisit an old wound that had never really completely healed in the first place.

Dan Scott had been granted a parole hearing.

The man that had been responsible for murdering the only real father figure Lucas had ever known could possibly be walking the streets again as a free man.

"Damn straight it's not right!" He yelled out in anger before furiously kicking the door shut with his foot, causing Peyton to slightly jump back from his outburst.

When Keith Scott had lost his life in that school shooting many years ago it wasn't even a question about who had done it. The police had found his cold body lying next to the school's shooter Jimmy Edwards, who had also taken his life. It had been ruled as a murder-suicide. Lucas had to deal with the hard truth that a good friend – or at least someone he had thought had been a good friend – had murdered his uncle for no apparent reason. It hadn't made any sense and no one really had the slightest inkling that Jimmy had been so troubled. He had hid it well.

Then months later the entire town was knocked on its ass when Mayor Dan Scott turned himself in to the local police confessing that he had murdered his brother, not Jimmy. If Lucas hadn't hated Dan enough before, this only cemented the hatred he had for his absentee father. The man was officially dead to him and Lucas took great pleasure in knowing that Dan would be spending the rest of his days watching the world pass him by through the confines of his prison cell.

"Lucas calm down." She stopped his rapid pacing. Her hands returned to his shoulders and she began massaging them, hoping to release some of his tension.

"I can't calm down Peyton!" Lucas abruptly pushed her hands off him. "Do you have any idea what this could mean?!" He hissed snatching the letter from her hands pushing it right in her face. "He's supposed to riot in there until his very last breath." The malice in his speech was unmistakable. "How could I possibly calm down?!" This wasn't justice. This wasn't justice for Keith.

"Yes you can." She pleaded softly. "Just take a seat."

"If they let him out I swear to god I'll fucking kill him myself the second he steps one foot out of that prison."

Peyton swallowed hard.

"I'll shoot him in cold blood just like he did to Keith." The blond spat.

She placed a hand over his right bicep. "You're scaring me."

Lucas paused and blew out a frustrated breath, his nostrils flaring over again.

"Please sit down honey. For me." Peyton softly requested. "You gotta calm down Lucas."

Lucas grudgingly returned to his desk and sat down. He hunched over in his seat, his legs wide apart, and buried his face in his large hands.

Peyton silently stood there deciding to give Lucas a minute as she watched him struggle with his emotions.

"I'm sorry." He spoke a couple of minutes later. He sighed, dropped his hands, and tilted his face up in her direction. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just so angry." He looked down at his hands, balling them up into fists once more. His knuckles turned white from the pressure.

"I understand."

"This isn't fair." His voice cracked and she felt her heart break further. "I don't know what to do Peyton."

Peyton situated herself between his legs and sat down on his lap. She wrapped an arm around Lucas' shoulder and with her other hand took a hold of his, linking their fingers together and placing them over her lap. She felt him rest his other hand over the small of her back. "We're going to figure this out okay? Together. I promise." She told Lucas noticing how his tired eyes had glossed over. "I'm right here with you. We'll see this through together."

Lucas sighed. He hadn't felt this lost in a really long time. All the heartache and emotions from Keith's death returned, washing over him, drowning his mind. It was like he couldn't breathe properly.

Lucas leaned forward letting his head drop over Peyton's chest. "I'm gonna go to the hearing." He decided right then. "I'll speak against Dan's release." Keith deserved better than this and Lucas was determined not to let him down. He refused to let down the man who raised him. His uncle. His father. His best friend.

"I'll come with you." Peyton quickly added with zero hesitation in her voice. She felt Lucas place a gentle kiss over the exposed skin of her chest. "I want to be there for you Luke." The hand she had on his shoulder slithered towards the nape of his neck and her fingers played with the little fine hairs there. "No matter what the outcome I'm gonna be here for you, okay?" She promised, determined to be at his side providing endless support.

Lucas pulled his head back so that they were at eye level. His sad baby blues bore into her hopeful green ones. "You will won't you?" He spoke not doubting for a second that Peyton would be there for him.

"I'd do anything for you." She replied giving him a small smile.

It was like everything sort of clicked into place after she had told him that. Lucas knew that Peyton meant every single word that passed her lips.

He could just feel it.

She wasn't being guarded. She wasn't being cautious. She was no longer afraid. She was giving him all of her. She was all in.

So why was he still holding back when there was clearly no further need for it? The girl he wanted, wanted him back in more ways than one. And with time Lucas was confident that she would love him back just the same as well. The answer was simple. It was time for him to be all in too. They had finally reached that point where holding back was no longer pushing them forward. It was just stalling the inevitable.

So Lucas did the first thing that came to mind. His lips lunged forward and he kissed her. He really kissed her. It was nothing like the quick innocent pecks they'd been exchanging these past few days since Christmas. No, there was nothing utterly innocent about this particular kiss. Lucas' lips had attacked hers and he was kissing Peyton with every fiber in his being. His entire body burned for her and he was transmitting that heat to her with the use of his lips. He wanted Peyton to know just how much he still wanted her. That he never stopped wanting her despite all they had been through. His hands were tangled up in her hair now, pushing her closer, pressing her pink lips more firmly over his. His tongue swept across her wet lips, and when her mouth parted to release a small moan, Lucas took the opportunity to bury his tongue inside, desperately seeking hers.

At first Peyton was left frozen in place. She had been expecting a chaste kiss, maybe two, but Lucas had caught her off guard, leaving her completely stunned when his lips sunk down and began moving in such a frenzy state against her own. Her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest and it took her a moment before she was finally able to reciprocate. Her eyes snapped shut and her lips pushed and pulled over his. Her body relaxed completely against his and she allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of his wet tongue gliding outside her mouth before entering and massaging its tip against her own tongue. They both moaned loudly as their tongues continued their dance together, first slowly, then aggressively fast, then back to slow again. Hands began to roam and somewhere along the way Peyton no longer found herself sitting across Lucas' lap, but straddling it instead. Her long legs were parted, placed on either side of him with her feet firmly planted on the floor. Her hands were around his neck, her thumbs gently stroking the sides of his rigid jaw line.

Lucas' hands had long deserted her blonde locks and tightly gripped the globes of her ass through the blue skinny jeans she wore. He pressed Peyton's ass forward, pushing her hips right against his and kept them firmly in place. She whimpered unhappily when his tongue slipped out of her mouth. He delivered a few good hard kisses before pulling away completely. He kissed the side of mouth, her cheek, her chin, her throat. Peyton titled her head back offering him easier access to her neck. Lucas found her pulse point and pressed his tongue flat against it before slowly running the tip of his tongue back and forth.

Her breath hitched, her upper body trembled and her fingernails dug into his neck. "More." Peyton whispered breathlessly to him. "I want more." She then felt Lucas' hands travel up her ass until they reached the waistband of her jeans. His fingers played with the lining and then she felt his heated hands slip underneath the denim and wiggle their way through her underwear to cup her bare ass, meanwhile his lips remained at her throat sucking hard at her pulse point.

Peyton groaned loudly when she felt Lucas' hands squeeze her backside. Her hands left his neck and weaved through his short locks. Her face was flushed, her skin felt like it has been set ablaze, the space between her legs was hot and wet with desire, and she could barely think straight. The only thing her brain could register was him. His touch, his gaze, his lips, his fingertips, his warmth, his rugged breath, and the way every inch of his body felt against hers.

It made Peyton feel alive.

She was about to suggest that they move things to the bedroom, but before she could even get the words out the side door of the house was ripped open with such force. It was a miracle the door hadn't been ripped off its hinges.

Nathan barged through the door. "Have you seen this bullshit?!"

Both a startled Peyton and Lucas turned their heads towards the door. There was Nathan practically mirroring the same enraged state Lucas had been in mere minutes ago. He was holding up a letter, no doubt the very same one Lucas had received.

"Well?!" Nathan cried out demanding an answer from his brother. The raven haired man didn't seem at all fazed that he'd just walked in on brother with his hands down Peyton's pants. He didn't bother apologizing for the interruption.

Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably and retracted his hands from inside Peyton's jeans. He placed a hand on her hip and stood up with her off the chair.

"I got it." Lucas bit back with a hint of attitude to his voice. He cocked his head down over at the crumbled piece of paper sitting on the floor.

"We can't let this happen." Nathan growled.

Lucas sent his brother a firm nod. "I agree."

"So what's the fucking plan then?"

Peyton placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "I'm gonna give you guys some privacy." She informed him.

"You don't have to leave baby." Lucas quickly spoke shaking his head, the hand at her hip tightening its hold. He wanted her near and frankly speaking he wanted his brother gone. Nathan had just ruined a very steamy moment that had been weeks in the making.

She smiled. "It's okay. You guys should have some space to talk this out." She leaned up and planted a kiss over his lips. "Take your time."

Lucas silently nodded. His hand fell off her hip and he turned back to face Nathan. Peyton gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before leaving the boys be and closing the door behind her.

She padded down the hall until she reached the kitchen. A tall glass of water was in order. Her mouth was dry, her lips were swollen, and her skin was still overheated from what had just transpired between her and Lucas. Nathan really did have the worst timing.

She desperately needed to cool off. Maybe a cold shower?

Peyton poured herself some water and held it up, pressing the cool glass against her face and neck for a moment before downing the entire glass of water in one take. She set the now empty glass on the kitchen counter and sighed heavily. In the background she could hear the boys loudly arguing over what to do about Dan. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but the anger and frustration both men were feeling was coming out loud and clear.

It was a complicated situation for both brothers. While Lucas had lost Keith and saw a man he cared very little for put behind bars, Nathan's experience was from a totally different perspective. He had never been particularly close to his uncle like Lucas was, but that didn't mean he wasn't saddened by the loss. And then on top of that Nathan had to watch his father, the man who had raised him, go to prison for murder. His father was a lot of things, but Nathan had never fathomed adding murderer to the long list of Dan Scott's extracurricular activities. Though Nathan and Dan had always had a complicated relationship, at the end of the day Dan was still his father. Nathan had loved and cared for him as any son would despite their differences. Though that love for his father had faded over the years, especially when Nathan had become a father himself. He knew exactly the kind of man and father he wanted to be to his kids and it resembled nothing like his own. Both brothers had dealt with this tragedy through opposite ends of the spectrum, but nonetheless were both bonded and banded together because of it. They had each other's backs.

There was a loud bang that vibrated through the wall and the loud chatter between the brothers halted suddenly. Peyton heard Lucas yell out Nathan's name, making her pause in concern. The blonde made her way back to the room deciding to check up on them. She opened the door and entered.

"What the hell man?!" Lucas spoke. He had his back to Peyton and was by Nathan's side looking at something, but his figure was obstructing her view.

"What's going on?" Peyton questioned looking over at the two suspiciously.

Lucas turned his head back to look at her. Sighing he stepped to the side allowing her to see what had happened.

"Oh my god Nathan!" She ran to his side straight away.

Nathan's entire right fist had gone through the wall.

"What the hell happened?" Peyton cried out.

"I punched the wall." Nathan replied deadpanned. "I thought that much was obvious."

"Don't get smart." She smacked the back of his head. "Well what are you waiting for? Pull it out already." She said impatiently.

"I'm stuck." Nathan revealed.

"Of course you are." Peyton mocked.

"Step aside Peyt." Lucas instructed. "I'm gonna try to pull him out."

Peyton complied with the request and got herself out of the way. She watched Lucas take a hold of Nathan's arm. He had one hand wrapped around Nathan's forearm and the other securely locked around his wrist. Nathan grunted in pain as Lucas twisted and pulled at his arm trying to find the right angle to free his hand, while Peyton looked on with a worried frown as she observed Nathan's discomfort.

About a minute later Lucas was able to pull Nathan's fist out leaving behind a rather large hole in the wall.

"Oh god Nathan. What were you thinking?" Peyton's frown deepened at the blood that covered his fist.

"Can you move it?" Lucas questioned.

Nathan nodded and began flexing his hand. He hissed a little as he did so, his hand stinging from the pain. "I don't think any bones are broken." He informed them. "Just looks like I broke skin." He added explaining the blood.

"Yea looks like you cut up your knuckles real nice." Lucas observed. "They'll probably be some bruising by tomorrow." He shook his head at his brother. "You're such a fucking idiot."

Nathan grinned. "Guess that makes you the smart one then huh." He joked.

"Do we have a first aid kit Luke?" Peyton asked him.

Lucas nodded. "I'll go find it."

"Here sit down." Peyton instructed, leading Nathan to sit at Lucas' desk as they waited for him to return with the kit.

"Sorry about your wall." Nathan mumbled as he glanced over at the damage.

"Um wanna explain to me what that was all about by the way?" Peyton wondered. She could care less about the stupid hole in the wall.

Nathan's head fell down and he sighed. He looked absolutely dejected. "Hales and I got into this huge fight tonight after she got home from Tric." He admitted. "Then she left the house to get some air and took the kids with her to get ice cream. So I was already in a pretty shitty mood when I started sorting through the mail and found this little gem." Nathan huffed rolling his eyes at the letter in his hand.

"Oh. I'm sorry." She didn't ask Nathan about the fight. She figured he probably didn't want to talk about it and anyway Peyton had a pretty good idea over what it was about. Basketball.

Lucas reentered the room. He had the first aid kit in one hand and a broom and dustpan in the other. He handed Peyton the kit and she went right to work cleaning up Nathan's hand.

"What happened over there?" Nathan asked as he watched his brother sweep up glass on the other side of the room. He hissed loudly when Peyton rubbed an alcohol pad over his wounds.

Lucas looked back over at him. "You're not the only idiot who blew a gasket."

The brothers shared a grin.

"Dan does manage to have that effect on everyone, even all the way from the comfort of his own prison cell." Nathan paused. "The dick."

Lucas sighed, his shoulders dropping. "I'm gonna go toss this out." He announced exiting the room once more.

Peyton finished cleaning up Nathan's cuts and began wrapping his knuckles. "I still can't believe you punched the wall." She teased.

"Hey it was either that or Lucas' face. I needed to hit something." He gave her a weak smile.

"Oh not his face please. I'm quite fond of it." She teased again. "He's the good looking brother."

Nathan scoffed. "Please, that mug of his hasn't broken nearly enough hearts like this one has." He said smugly.

There was a long pause.

"I'm sorry about your dad Nate."

Nathan shrugged. "It's all good."

"Have you ever been to see him?" She was curious to know.

"Once." Nathan admitted. "Right after he got locked up. I told him that I never wanted to see him again and that I didn't need him because I had my own family now. Haley and I were just about to get married and she was already pregnant with Jamie. I told him he would never be a part of my family, he'd never get to know Jamie, and then I said goodbye."

Peyton looked down sadly. "I know this must be hard."

"There's nothing hard about this." Nathan said dismissively. "Me and Luke are gonna make sure he stays in there. It's where he belongs. The parole board will see that."

"Yea, but…he's still your dad after all. I can see how the situation is all cut and dry for Lucas, but it has to be harder for you. It's different for you."

"C'mon Peyt we dated. You remember what my dad was like. How he treated me."

Peyton nodded. "Yes I remember. He was a dick, but he's still your dad. I mean there must be some good memories you have of the man. It couldn't have all been horrible."

"Gee can't seem to think of one." Nathan quipped.

The blonde blew out a breath and playfully shook her head at Nathan. "I don't believe that. There has to be something."

Nathan paused. "You know what? There actually is. You wanna know what the best memory I have of my father Peyton?"

She nodded.

"The day he went to prison. The day he couldn't hurt any one of us ever again."

Peyton gulped. That wasn't exactly where she was going with this.

"Nathan."

"I'm sorry Peyton, but I can't do this right now." He stood out of his seat hastily. "I want to see Haley. Hopefully she's still talking to me again. I gotta go." Nathan paused when he reached the door. "Thanks for this by the way." He held up the hand she had tended to.

"Are you even gonna be able to drive? At least let Lucas take you home."

"Nah, I'll be fine. See you later Sawyer."

Nathan exited the house before she could protest.

* * *

I had so much fun writing up this latest post! It's always fun to have some classic OTH characters pop up now and then. So in this chapter Leyton had a very short-lived make out session, Dan could possibly be released from prison, and Naley's issues remain unresolved.

Coming up next: New Year's baby! Nathan's hosting a NYE party, which includes a very special appearance from another OTH character who I love.

Also for those of you who follow my other story 'Under The Same Roof', I'm aiming to post a new chapter by this weekend at the latest.

Until next time!


	32. Close

Reviews

 **S. Jamedra** – I'm glad you loved the last chapter! And yes the whole Dan thing does have the potential of bringing these relationships closer. Glad to see I can still surprise you guys every once in a while! lol

 **Annie** – It was important for Peyton to be really there for Lucas. It really demonstrates her commitment.

 **Talz** – Yup Nathan the cockblocker, ah man! If only Peyton had locked the door behind her huh?! Lol

 **jordana60** – I had so much fun writing the Tric scene between the girls and the other supporting characters. So glad you enjoyed it!

 **Mufc87** – Lucas is all in and Peyton is all in. I can promise you that things are about to go up several notches.

 **Mama43** – Yea, I've definitely been incorporating more characters, but I don't think it's taken away from Leyton and their development. There still have been plenty of Leyton scenes. Thanks for your support!

 **Guest** – Yup those two got a little steamy!

 **Guest** – More steamy Leyton scenes are not far away. I promise!

 **Guest** – Glad you loved the Pathan! They're always kind of fun to write together.

* * *

As always many thanks to all you folks who are reading this and encourage me to keep writing it! Still can't believe sometimes how many of you actually read this little story of mine. Super grateful.

Chapter Track: 'Close' by Nick Jonas feat. Tove Lo

* * *

Chapter 32: Close

"What about this one?" Peyton held up the picture for Lucas to see.

They were sitting on the living room rug surrounded by photo albums and several stacks of loose photos. During breakfast this morning Peyton had suggested looking at old photos with the intention of finding at least one that could trigger even the smallest of memories. She just wanted to remember something, anything about her past. They had just finished going through their wedding album while Lucas described the day for her down to every last detail, including the proposal. Lucas being a writer was a huge perk. The man sure had a gift for painting vivid imagery with soley the use of his words. He described moments and emotions that a simple picture couldn't possibly capture. With each description Peyton felt like she was right there. She could picture standing right in front of Lucas at the altar. She wanted to remember it so badly. She wanted to remember the love she had for him, the love they had for each other, while they were surrounded by their family and friends. Everything about their wedding just sounded absolutely perfect.

Lucas glanced at the photo from his spot on her shoulder, where his chin rested. He was sitting down, knees bent up with his back up against the couch. Peyton was squeezed in between his legs with her knees also bent up, feet firmly planted on the rug. "Is there a date on the back?" He asked.

Peyton pressed her back into Lucas' chest. She leaned her head back allowing it to rest on his shoulder. "November 2009." She replied after flipping the photo to see.

Lucas smiled. "I remember now." He spoke while looking fondly at the picture.

Peyton tilted her head up to look at him. "Well?" She asked playfully.

"That's the day you moved in with me." He replied and gently squeezed the sides of her hips with his hands. "We had just finished moving all your boxes in here and then we took that picture."

Green eyes scanned the photo once more. It was a close up of just their faces pressed up together and smiling widely at the camera. "We look really happy." Peyton commented.

"We were." Lucas agreed and then pressed his lips over her temple, letting it linger for a bit. "I was completely terrified on the inside though." He revealed.

"How come?"

"Well you already had experience living with a significant other, so you knew what to expect, but I had never moved in with a girlfriend before. It was a big step. I knew that if moving in turned out to be a disaster then our relationship would most likely end as a result."

Peyton chuckled. "Though that didn't stop you from asking me. I mean c'mon, five months into our relationship and you ask me to move in with you? Someone was eager." She teased slightly nudging Lucas' gut with her elbow.

Lucas shrugged. "I may have been scared, but I knew what I wanted. Nothing was going to change my mind. I wanted you here. With me. And hey you didn't have to yes, so looks like I wasn't the only one eager to live together."

Peyton took one of the hands resting on her hips and pressed a kiss over his knuckles.

"Are you getting anything from looking at these photos?" He asked hopefully.

"No." She sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry. I thought…I was hoping…"

Peyton felt another kiss at her temple.

"It's okay sweetheart." Lucas reassured her. "We'll keep trying."

Peyton blew out a breath and snuggled further into his chest. "You know…it's been really nice just listening to all the stories behind these pictures regardless of it not triggering anything."

"Good. I'm glad."

Peyton sighed and continued flipping through the stack of pictures in her hand. She paused when she found one that caught her interest. "What about this one Luke?"

In this picture they were standing on some steps in front of a large grey building, possibly a courthouse Peyton inferred. Lucas was wearing a simple dark blue suit and she was wearing a delicate looking ivory lace dress that fell just above her knees paired with some vey colorful red pumps and a tiny bouquet of flowers in her left hand. Lucas had an arm around her waist, while she was tucked into his side with a hand over his chest. They were both sporting the cheesiest of grins. It made Peyton smile at how happy they both looked.

"That right there is a picture of the greatest day of my life." He spoke while pointing at the photo.

Peyton looked over at him curiously at his vagueness.

Lucas grinned. "You know we had the wedding and everything, but we actually eloped first." He informed her. "I forgot to mention that earlier."

"You're kidding." She said in surprise.

"Yea well we both still wanted a wedding, but neither of us wanted to wait for the actual getting married part." He said before chuckling. "One night we just decided that there was no point in waiting and that we could plan for a wedding later on. Two days later we went to the courthouse and got married. It was all your idea actually. You really wanted to lock this down, not that I can blame you." He teased with a hint of smugness.

"Ha. Funny." The blonde teased back.

"In case you haven't noticed, I am prettttty irresistible." Lucas drawled out.

"Wow I hadn't really noticed to be honest." Peyton said nonchalantly as she causally flipped through some more pictures. "You're _okay_." She added after a beat. "I guess."

Lucas sported an amused look on his face. "Oh really? Cause when we were making out last night it sounded like I was a lot more than just _okay_."

"Lucas!" She slapped his thigh. Her cheeks flushed as her mind wandered to the night before when he'd had his lips and hands over her skin.

Lucas mouth hovered over her ear. "Baby, you make the sexiest sounds when I'm kissing you." His voice turned husky.

The rosy color of Peyton's cheeks only intensified. "Luke…" She said bashfully.

"I love it." Lucas dropped a kiss on the side of her neck.

She giggled when he playfully nibbled on the very same spot he had just kissed.

"Where's this one from?" Peyton questioned as she held up another photo. It was of her, Lucas, a woman whom she recognized as Lucas' mother, another man, who was quite attractive, and finally a little brown haired girl.

Lucas peered down at the photo. "That's on Andy's boat. He and my mom have been together for years now. They sail around a lot. That was taken when we traveled to the Florida Keys with them for a week. We had just gotten engaged and my mom really wanted to see us. The little girl I'm holding up is my sister Lily. She's the same age as Jamie." He explained.

Peyton nodded. "What about this one?" She said flipping to another picture.

"Babe. Can we do something else instead?"

"Sure." Peyton replied. They had been looking at pictures for the past two hours anyway. A break couldn't hurt. "What did you have in mind?" She asked, setting aside the stack of pictures she held. "Wanna watch a movie or something?" Nathan's New Year's Eve party was tonight, but that was several hours away so they still had the whole day to themselves.

"Well…" Lucas cupped the side of her face, tilting it over to face him. "I was thinking maybe a little bit more of this…" He trailed off and covered Peyton's lips with his own.

Peyton melted into the kiss. Her hands immediately went to the collar of his tee, tugging him closer. His lips applied more pressure eliciting a tiny hum of approval from Peyton.

"Of course that's just a suggestion." Lucas muttered against her lips when the kiss ended. "I'm open to other ideas on how we should pass the time." His fingertips trailed over the back of her thigh.

Peyton's eyes fluttered open and she looked into his eyes, her vision clouded in a lustful daze. "No, no, I can work with this." Peyton whispered completely out of breath from the kiss and nodded quickly before reconnecting their lips.

* * *

They had spent the next two hours making out like a couple of horny teenagers in the living room. The floor wasn't that comfortable after a while, so Lucas had swiftly thrown them on the couch, where they resumed their activities, devouring each other until their lips were red, swollen and had gone completely numb. When they finally did come up for air it was nearing lunch time. They laid on the couch in silence for a few minutes as they got their heartbeats back in working order before deciding to head to the kitchen to look at takeout menus for lunch.

Or at least that had been the original plan.

Neither of them were really sure whose arm brushed against the other's during the few short steps towards the kitchen, but once that happened all plans to order some food had been shot to hell. They never made it to the kitchen. Urgent kisses and feverish touches were exchanged in the hall, and shortly after the couple was stumbling blindly into their bedroom.

Peyton found herself flat on her back across their bed. Lucas was on top of her, busy delivering kisses over every inch of her face and then proceeded to do the same all over her neck. She closed her eyes, tilting her head back as it hung off the edge of the bed, and sucked in her bottom lip when she felt Lucas run his tongue directly across the base of her throat.

"We're supposed to be ordering lunch." She blew out through a heavy breath, slightly chuckling. Her hands slipped underneath his tee and her fingertips traced all the lines and curves of his abdomen.

"I'm not really hunger for food right now." Lucas managed to puff out before his lips resumed their exploration of her neck. "Unless you wanna stop." He pulled his lips away long enough to speak again. "Do you wanna stop?"

Peyton lifted her head up. "Hell no." She scooted down a bit so that her head wasn't hanging off the bed anymore. She kissed Lucas, nibbling on his bottom lip and sucking on it until it was raw. Her hands continued their exploration over the skin hidden beneath his shirt.

Lucas eventually pulled back and reached behind him with one hand to grab the fabric of his tee before tugging it off and tossing it aside. Peyton hiked one of her legs over his hip when he came back down to kiss her. He delivered another steamy kiss over her swollen lips before descending back towards her neck.

"Luke I'm wearing a dress tonight." She weakly moaned to her husband when she felt him scrape his teeth along the side of her neck. "I don't want any visible marks on my neck." She could hear a noise of disapproval escape him. "I prefer not having people staring and commenting all night."

Lucas pulled his face up to look at Peyton. He kissed the side of her mouth. "So as long as no one can see it…" He kissed the other side of her mouth. "It's okay then?" His lips curved into a sexy smile and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I can mark you anywhere on your body that's for my eyes only? That no one else would ever be able to know or see except you and me? "

She couldn't help the small moan that broke free from her throat. Okay so maybe now she wanted the damn love bite that he was proposing. Why did he have to sound so damn sexy all the time?

"Because that's exactly what I want to do to you Peyton." His voice became low and rough sounding. "And I was thinking of doing it right over here." Lucas traced small circles above the fabric of her sweatpants over a spot right along her inner thigh that was dangerously close to where her underwear sat. "How does that sound baby?"

Her throat had gone dry after that and her mind blank along with it. Lucas chuckled at her stunned silence and kissed her. Peyton's senses returned at once and she kissed him back. She ran her hands up and down his bare chest. She then felt Lucas' hands go for the elastic band of her sweats, his fingers slipping inside, ready to rip them right off her. Instead of pulling them off he paused suddenly.

Lucas pressed his face up against hers so that their noses were rubbing. "Peyt are you sure about this?" There was a sharp look of determination across Lucas' face as he looked straight at Peyton. "I really need you to be sure." His heart wouldn't be able to handle it if they crossed this line and she regretted it later. "This needs to be something not only that we both really want, but that we're ready for."

Peyton smiled. She brought a hand up to his face allowing her thumb to stroke his cheek. "Lucas, wanting to be with you in each and every way possible is just about the only damn thing I've been most certain about since waking up from that accident. If you wanna slow things down and wait, then we can, I have no problem with that…" Peyton kissed him quickly. "But I'm really hoping you don't because honey I'm going crazy over here with how much I want you right now." She blurted out soon after causing Lucas to laugh at her.

"I don't wanna wait." Lucas admitted quickly. He was already wound up so tightly and counting down the seconds until they were skin to skin when their bodies finally reunited as one. It had been so long. Over two months to be exact. The last time they'd had sex was a couple of days before her accident. He could hardly wait to be inside her again. Though now of course this would be their first time together for Peyton. Her memory loss had stripped away every intimate moment they had ever shared together. Lucas was determined not to disappoint her and luckily he knew her body well. It was practically ingrained in his brain.

"So let's not wait then."

They both grinned widely.

"I love you so much."

Peyton pressed their lips together again kissing him hard. "Say it again." She whispered in-between heated kisses as she wove her fingers through his short locks.

"I love you."

She really thought her heart was going to burst with how full it felt. Her life felt so heavy and lonely most days when it came to her memory loss. She felt so lost sometimes, but having Lucas say those three little words always made things better. His love fought off the cold loneliness that consumed her more often than Peyton was willing to admit. Having someone like Lucas love her so unconditionally made Peyton feel human and more like herself. She didn't feel like a stranger living in her own body when she was with him. In all honestly she'd be lost without this man. The only problem was that she had yet to utter those three words back to him. She wasn't ready yet and thankfully Lucas had never placed any pressure on her to say it before she was ready. It probably sounded selfish, but it was far from it. Peyton just wanted to be sure. She owed him that. She refused to betray Lucas' trust or love by declaring anything too prematurely.

Her sweats were off before she could blink. Lucas lips were back on hers and one of his hands traveled north to palm one of her breast over the thin shirt she wore. Peyton's hand continuously ran up and down his back. His hips were aligned with hers and Peyton could feel his hardness poking at her through his shorts. Lucas squeezed her left breast a bit harder prompting Peyton to moan and rub her body against his.

Peyton broke the kiss before jerking her face to the side. "Did you hear that?" She panted heavily.

"Hear what? I didn't hear anything." Lucas mumbled with his lips against her sternum. He ran his tongue over it effectively distracting her.

She got lost under the feel of his warm tongue briefly before being ripped back to reality. There was a sharp knock coming from the front door. "See I told you." Peyton told Lucas, making him listen.

The knocking persisted, followed by the door bell.

"Nope. I don't hear a thing." He lied running a hand over Peyton's panties to coax her back in the mood.

"Lucas."

"Just ignore it." Lucas begged. "They don't have to know we're home."

Peyton quickly nodded in agreement allowing herself to succumb to Lucas' touches while blocking out the front door from her mind.

"Yo Luke I know you're in there. Your car is outside bro, open up!"

Lucas recognized that voice anywhere. It was Skills.

"Yea Uncle Lucas hurry up! I've gotta pee."

And that was Jamie.

Lucas growled unhappily. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." He dropped his face into the crook of Peyton's neck.

First Nathan yesterday and now these two?

Peyton ran a comforting hand through Lucas' hair. "I guess we should get up?" She suggested in a tone that really suggested that was the last thing she wanted to do. Remaining all hot and bothered, and unsatisfied wasn't exactly the goal here.

"I really rather not." Lucas groaned again and picked up his head.

She kissed him quickly. "We can't really just leave them out there."

"Why not?" He didn't look troubled one bit with the thought.

Peyton grinned pressing their foreheads together.

"I want you so badly." Lucas huffed out. His hand squeezed the side of her waist.

"Yo hurry up dawg!" Skills shouted out.

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Me too." Peyton said sweetly. "Later okay? I promise."

Lucas grudgingly nodded after a beat and Peyton quickly planted another kiss. "This is far from over." He promised sternly, pressing their hips together one last time. He then rolled off her and Peyton pouted already missing the warmth and weight of his body over hers. They both sat at the edge of the bed taking in deep breaths of air as they both struggled to control their urges.

Peyton quickly slipped her sweatpants back on and fixed her shirt. "I'll go get the door. Looks like you need a minute." She smirked shamelessly eyeing the visible budge in his shorts. She watched Lucas chuckle before she stood up and exited the bedroom.

"Hey guys." Peyton greeted after opening the door.

"Hi Aunt Peyton!" Jamie yelled out as he flashed past her heading towards the bathroom.

"Hey baby girl." Skills walked through the door and hugged Peyton.

Peyton had already met Skills and the rest of Lucas' childhood friends a few days ago. "Sorry, we were taking a nap and didn't hear the door. Lucas should be out in a minute." Based on first impressions, Peyton really liked Skills. He was both a sweet and highly entertaining man.

"I'm watching Jamie for the day since Nathan and Haley are busy getting everything ready for tonight. We just got back from the river court, thought we'd stop by and say hello. Also Jamie really needed to pee and ya's house was the closest."

Peyton laughed.

"So a nap huh?" Skills stated sounding less than impressed with Peyton's excuse.

Peyton slightly flushed. "We were thinking about ordering lunch. You guys eat yet?" She quickly changed the subject.

Skills shook his head. "Nah, not yet."

"Perfect. I'll go grab some menus." She smiled at Lucas as they passed each other down the hall.

Lucas grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Why didn't you try to get rid of them?" He demanded through a whisper.

"You want me to kick out your nephew?" She teased.

Lucas sighed. "Fine." He grumbled before walking away to go find their guests.

"About time." Skills stated as Lucas came into view.

Lucas had never been so less thrilled to see one of his best friends. "Hey man." The two men greeted by slapping hands.

Skills looked over at his friend's disheveled appearance. "Damn that must have been one hell of a nap." He mused with a grin.

"Huh?" Lucas asked looking confused.

"Your t-shirt is inside out Romeo." Skills pointed out.

Lucas paused looking down at his shirt. "You just _had_ to show up right now didn't you?" He looked back up, glowering at Skills. "You two have to get the hell up outta here." The blond looked dead serious.

"Hey don't blame me, I'm not the one who had to pee man." Skills defended and motioned over to Jamie, who had just reappeared.

Lucas turned his head back to look down at his nephew. He frowned.

"Damn J Luke you ruined it." Skills spoke cryptically.

"What?" Jamie asked baffled from the looks he was on the receiving end of.

* * *

Peyton was in the bedroom eyeing herself in the full length mirror. After lunch Skills and Jamie had hung around for a bit, much to Lucas' dismay. When the boys had finally left, Lucas and Peyton started getting ready for the New Year's Eve bash that Nathan was throwing at Tric this evening.

Peyton held up a tube of bright red lipstick and applied it over her lips. She pressed her lips together making sure it was applied evenly.

"Wow…you look…wow…" Lucas entered the bedroom and had just caught an eye full of her bare back. Peyton was wearing a short backless black dress and he was left dumbstruck, all the word in the English language completely escaping him. Lucas stepped further into the room. He stood behind Peyton getting a look at her through the mirror. "This is new." He swallowed thickly and then ran his fingers starting from her shoulder blades all the way down her exposed back. His fingers traced down the curve of Peyton's spine until they hit the spot where the fabric of her dress started up again, just barely above her backside. "Just where did you get this dress?" He asked in wonder.

Peyton released an involuntary shiver from his delicate touch. "Brooke." She lightly moaned leaning back into him. "It's one of her new designs." She had picked it up from the brunette's house early this morning. Brooke had made the dress specifically with Peyton in mind. "Do you like it?" She sent him a coy smile through the mirror.

Lucas looped an arm around her waist, pressing her back tighter against his chest. "I do." He placed a kiss over her cheek. "But you can't leave this house dressed like that." He spoke rather gravely after a beat.

Peyton's smile dropped. "So…you don't like it?" She frowned not understanding.

"Oh no, I love it. You look absolutely gorgeous and sexy as hell." His fingers played with the hem of Peyton's dress.

One of her brows shot up. "So what's the problem then?"

"Last time I checked you're mine and I don't like to share." Lucas stated possessively. "Though you have my full support to wear that dress at home for me all day, every day." He winked at her through the mirror.

"You can't be serious."

"Baby have you seen you in this dress?" Lucas spoke incredulously. She was all legs and exposed back in this black little number, and the thought of other men ogling her in this outfit all night did not sit well. "Can't you put on something a little…less revealing?"

Peyton laughed loudly. "Oh honey I'm not doing that." She playfully taunted him. Even Peyton had to admit she looked damn good in this dress. There was no way she was putting on another dress, especially after seeing Lucas' positive reaction. Also she had just spent hours primping and perfecting this look, so that was a hell-to-the-no on changing into another dress. This one fit her body like a glove. Brooke clearly knew what she was doing when she designed this dress.

Lucas pouted.

"Nathan is throwing this party for his teammates. Do you have any idea what NBA players are like? Especially with women? They're all dogs!"

"Nathan's not." Peyton shot back.

"That's because my brother knows better than to mess around on Haley. He'd be signing over his own death warrant."

She laughed again and turned around in his arms. "I don't have eyes for anyone but you Lucas." Peyton reassured him.

"Your eyes aren't the ones I'm worried about." Lucas grumbled clearly jealous already, despite the fact that they hadn't even left the house yet.

Peyton grabbed his face. "You have nothing to worry about." She kissed him softly. "Think of it this way…you get to show off your hot wife all night and make everyone wish they were you."

Lucas gave his wife a small smile. "Or you could just save us both the trouble and change." He hurriedly suggested once more while trying to look cute.

Peyton scowled unamused.

* * *

The music was pumping and the drinks were flowing at Tric tonight. It was a packed crowd this evening as Nathan had invited the entire Bobcats team, who had rolled in deep with their respective entourages, as well as other invited guests that were affiliated in some way with Charlotte's NBA team. Everyone was having a great time – well maybe not everyone. Mouth had rooted himself at the bar with the intention to drink the night away. He was still taking his breakup with Millicent pretty hard. Knowing that his friend was a terrible lightweight – it was downright embarrassing what an easy drunk Mouth was – Skills was also at the bar, on babysitting duty much to his dismay. There were all these girls from the Bobcats' dance team running around tonight that he was just dying to introduce himself to. Lucas wasn't having a horrible time, but he'd probably be enjoying his night better if he didn't have to fend off all the men that had approached Peyton. They had been practically glued to the hip anyway, but during those rare moments when they parted, Lucas would turn around and find yet another one of Nathan's teammates circling in on Peyton like a vulture, which was exactly what was going on now. He had stepped away to talk to Haley and Nathan for a second and there was another douche standing by Peyton in his absence. He knew that dress was a bad idea. Peyton looked absolutely ravishing in it and it really came as no surprise that she had been turning heads all night.

"Well that was rude." Peyton giggled as Lucas had dragged her away from the basketball player she was engaged in small talk with. Lucas had been like this all night and she had found his jealous highly amusing, and if she was being completely honest it was really flattering and also kind of hot how possessive he was being. She could hardly wait til they got home later.

"That was the fifth player that's hit on you." Lucas complained wrapping an arm around her waist.

"He was harmless." Peyton reassured him. She hadn't flirted back with any of these guys and had made it perfectly clear that she was taken, but apparently these guys liked a challenge because it hadn't deterred them not one bit.

"That last guy is married and according to Nathan apparently his two girlfriends are here in attendance."

Peyton gasped placing a hand over her chest dramatically. "And I could have been girlfriend number three?! No one likes a cockblocker honey, scram." She teased. "You're kind of killing my vibe."

Lucas pursed his lips.

"Oh honey stop." She laughed at him and snaked her arms around his neck. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"I know that." Lucas replied. He really wasn't worried about Peyton running off with any of these guys. He trusted her and felt secure about their relationship. "Doesn't mean I still don't want to punch these jerks in the face."

She let out another laugh. "Ooh wanna play a game?" She asked leaning in, the look in her eye turned seductive.

Like a magnet, his face leaned in with hers. "What kind of game?" He replied with an eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Well…" She ran a finger down his tight abdomen. "It's called the how about we make everyone else in here really jealous game."

"Hmmm how do we play?" He mumbled in her ear against the music.

"Like this…" Peyton turned her face to the side until their lips met. She pressed her body again Lucas' and kissed him with such urgency. Tric and everyone inside faded away into the background. It felt like they were the only ones standing there at the moment. Lucas gruffed into Peyton's mouth the moment her tongue swirled around his. His hands on her waist lowered and didn't rest until they reached the curve of her ass. Peyton pulled her hips up against his and they both moaned. When they withdrew they were both left looking more than a little dazed. That kiss had not been suitable for public viewing and they had gotten a little carried away.

"I like this game." Lucas whispered. "But I'd like it even more somewhere away from prying eyes. Let's get out of here." He urged, a hand squeeze hard over her hip. Peyton had been teasing him in that dress all night and he was done practicing patience and self-control.

"We can't leave."

Lucas blew out a breath. "I beg to differ." He argued.

Peyton sent him a playful look. "I wanna ring in the New Year with everyone." Of course she wanted to get back home and resume what they had started this afternoon, but they were already out for the night and it really wouldn't hurt to wait until midnight to toast the night. It was New Year's Eve after all.

Lucas groaned. "Peyton you're killing me here." She wasn't fooling anyone. He knew she wanted this just as badly. Peyton was wound up tight just like he was at the moment. "Baby let's just get out of here." He demanded.

"How about you go get me a drink instead?" She spoke through a pleasant smile shifting the conversation on to another topic. "I'm thirsty."

Lucas' shoulders slumped and he sighed dramatically. "Fine." He huffed when he realized he wouldn't be getting his way anytime soon. "Think you can fend off the suitors while I'm gone?" He teased.

She smiled. "I'll be fine. I see Haley and Brooke over there, but if you're not quick about it I might just find myself a new baller boyfriend."

"So not funny." Lucas said deadpanned.

* * *

"Ugh why did you guys even invite her again?" Brooke frowned as she watched her former high school arch nemesis from a far.

Haley groaned. "Believe me she's the last person I wanted to see tonight, but Nathan couldn't just invite the entire dance team and not her."

"Who are we going all mean girls on?" Peyton quipped joining her friends.

"Peyton you remember Rachel Gatina right?" The brunette pointed her out for Peyton.

"Ah how could I forget, you guys were like the best of friends." Peyton joked.

Brooke snorted.

They had been anything but.

"She still lives in Tree Hill?" Peyton questioned at she observed the red head flirting with some guy a few feet away.

"Hell no!" Both Haley and Brooke snapped.

Peyton chuckled. "Um what am I missing here? I mean I get why Brooke hates Rachel. But why do you hate her Haley?" Brooke and Rachel had been at each other's throats all of senior year when Rachel had transferred to their school. Rachel had been on this ridiculous quest to outshine Brooke and take over their cheerleading squad, and of course Brooke wasn't having any of that. Peyton's loyalty had been with Brooke obviously, but she never had any real beef with Rachel. They had even bonded on several occasions over music.

"Let's just say she's a little too friendly with Nathan." Haley gritted through her teeth as she continued to glare over at Rachel.

"She's part of the Bobcats' dance team." Brooke chimed in. "How her fat ass manages to fit into those dance shorts I'll never know."

Haley roared with laughter. "So says the girl that hired her as a model for her fashion line."

"That was a momentary lapse in judgment!" Brooke defended. "Plus she came cheap like most whores do. Anyway I came back to my senses and let her ass go when she couldn't stay sober long enough for photo shoots."

"Meow." Peyton spoke while making a cat claw gesture with her hand. "Am I gonna have to keep you two separated this evening?" She teased.

"Oh you can't stand the bitch either." Brooke revealed. "Sweetie you're the Vice President of the _I Hate Rachel Club_."

"I'm the President." Haley proudly announced.

"Dare I ask why?" Peyton questioned.

"Well let's just say that Nathan isn't the only Scott she's had her eyes on." Brooke answered.

"Oh c'mon guys, really?" Peyton grinned unconvinced. Her and Rachel had never been besties in high school but they had been cool enough. Plus this wasn't high school anymore, people were supposed to grow up and all.

"Oh well don't let me stop you from saying hello." Brooke said rather dramatically. "Don't take my word for it."

"Yea why don't you go on over there and um…catch up with your old pal Rach." Haley spoke with a highly amused look across her face. "I'm sure she'll be _thrilled_ to see you."

Never one to back down from a challenge, Peyton agreed. "You know what? I think I will. As riveting as this whole meeting of the _I Hate Rachel Club_ has been, I think I'm gonna go mingle." She playfully stuck her tongue out at the two.

"She'll be back." Brooke muttered over at Haley after Peyton had walked off.

Peyton appeared in front of Rachel just as the guy she had been talking to left.

"Peyton." Rachel barely greeted in a monotone voice. "I guess you would be here tonight." She shrugged appearing rather disinterested with the blonde's presence.

"Just thought I'd say hi, it's been awhile. How you've been?" Peyton asked brushing off Rachel's less than enthusiastic welcoming.

"I heard you almost died." Rachel spoke bluntly. She didn't care much for small talk. "Is that true?"

"Well…yea I guess. I was in an accident back in October."

"Well that's a real shame."

Peyton shrugged. "Oh well I mean I'm fine now so it's all good, but thanks for your concern…"

Rachel cut her off. "Oh no I wasn't talking about that." She said with a laugh. "I just meant it's a real shame that had you died, I could have really been there for Lucas in his time of need. I'm really great at comforting people. I would have taken extra good care of him Peyton." The smile on her face was just about as fake as most of her body parts.

Peyton's mouth parted before her eyebrows narrowed down suspiciously. Was she really hearing her right?

"But anyway, when slink back over there to your meeting of the minds please tell Brooke that I said she's looking a little fat, a little whale-like actually. Way to let yourself go Davis. And as for Haley…well let's be real I don't care enough about her to even waste my air supply. So as fun as this has been, I actually have a ton of other people here I rather be talking to, but it's been great catching up. I'll definitely make sure to say hi to Luke as soon as I see him." Rachel said sporting wicked smirk. "Toodles!" She said dismissively.

There was a flash of red hair as Rachel whipped around and then she was gone.

Peyton was left completely flabbergasted at the interaction. "Bitch." She choked out in disbelief.

"Guess we have our VP back." Haley commented while her and Brooke were snickering off to the side after watching the whole scene unfold. The look on Peyton's face alone assured them that Rachel was still her same old charming self.

"Told ya." Brooke said as she watched Peyton make her way back to them. "So you two seemed chummy." She smirked.

"Shut up." Peyton grumbled.

* * *

"So Mouth, how's it going buddy?" Lucas looked over at his friend. It was sad to see him in this state.

"Love is a lie Lucas. It's a treacherous bitch!" Mouth slurred. "Do yourself a favor and don't get married, dodge the bullet like I did." He raised his empty glass and slammed it on the bar. "Can I get another one?"

Lucas frowned. "How many drinks has he had?" The blond sent Skills a look of concern.

"One." Skills replied deadpanned.

Lucas cracked up.

"What? No. This is like my fourth drink!" Mouth retorted.

Skills shook his head discreetly at Lucas while mouthing _water_. He had told the bartender to water down Mouth's drinks after the first one.

Lucas slapped a hand on Mouth's shoulder. "I'm sorry bud. I know it must hurt like hell."

"To hell with her! I don't need her!" Mouth announced as he stumbled out of his stool.

Both Skills and Lucas winced.

"Where are you going man?" Skills questioned.

"Bathroom." Mouth barked before disappearing.

"This drunk fool is really wrecking my New Year's. Have you seen all the fine ladies in here tonight Luke?"

Lucas laughed.

"I'm this close to tossing his ass in the backseat of my car. He's probably passing out in the bathroom as we speak."

"Don't forget to crack a window." Lucas teased.

"Sorry again about today man. I didn't mean to interrupt you getting your groove on with P Sawyer. You know I'm a lover baby. Jamie's the real culprit here."

Lucas could only shake his head at Skills' sad attempts to place the blame on a nine year old. "It's cool man."

"Though I must say your girl is REAL popular tonight. She's been making new friends left and right."

"Gee really? I hadn't noticed." Lucas mumbled sarcastically.

Skills laughed. "I'm surprised you let her out of the house at all."

"Peyton's her own woman." Lucas defended.

"You asked her to change didn't you and she said no." Skills deduced and smirked knowingly at his friend.

"More like hell no." Lucas replied and chuckled once more. "You have no idea how hard it's been not to punch someone's lights out tonight. Nathan would kill me."

"Man you ain't gotta worry about all that. Look at that girl Luke. All those other guys can go kick rocks because even with the memory loss, it's clear to everyone in here that she's absolutely crazy about you." Skills told him seriously. "You two are the real deal."

"Thanks man. I appreciate it."

"Plus, you get to be the one who takes that dress off at the end of the night." Skills wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Lucas grinned and shook his head at one of his oldest friends. "I'll catch up with you later man." He collected Peyton's drink off the bar and went off in search of her.

* * *

"Hey." Lucas whispered in his wife's ear as he joined her on the dance floor.

"Hi." She grinned up at him and accepted the drink he offered. "Where have you been?"

"At the bar with Skills and Mouth."

Peyton's eyes narrowed. "You haven't seen Rachel Gatina by any chance have you?"

"Um…no?" Lucas replied.

"Good. You aren't allowed to talk to her by the way." The blonde stated seriously.

Lucas grinned. "I'm not?" He teased.

"She is such a bitch!" Peyton hissed smacking his chest with her free hand. "Also did you know I was Vice President of the _I Hate Rachel Club_?"

Lucas sniggered. "You guys are still calling it that?"

"That's not the point." Peyton pouted. "Did you guys ever have a thing?" She questioned. "Like in high school or something, or before we met?"

"Of course not. I wasn't exactly on Rachel Gatina's radar back then or any of you cheerleaders for that matter." He lightly ribbed.

"But apparently you are now."

"Well like you said she's a bitch. Not really interested over here."

"Well don't talk to her anyway. Let's not encourage her."

"I like you all jealous. It's sexy." Lucas pulled Peyton close as the continued to dance to the music. "How about we move this party somewhere else?"

"Luke c'mon I wanna stay."

"I'm not saying we have to leave. I'm just _strongly suggesting_ that we slip into your office for a bit so I can get you out of that dress or better yet…" His fingers trailed down her bare spine. "The dress can stay on actually."

"No way." She replied firmly. "We can't just disappear."

"Baby I can promise you that no one is going to notice that we've gone missing. Everyone is drunk with the exception of Brooke and baby Baker, oh and maybe Skills." One of his hands went to play with the hem of her dress again. He slipped a finger underneath the fabric brushing it against the bottom of her ass.

Peyton jumped up from her spot in surprise. "Luke!" She quickly looked around scanning the area hoping that no one had seen that. Her cheeks were red.

Lucas chuckled. "Calm down. It's so dark on this dance floor that no one can see a thing." He promised. "Let's go to your office." He breathed in Peyton's ear.

She looked up at him feeling disappointed. "You really want our first time together to be on top of some desk with hundreds of people on the other side of the door?"

Lucas 'eyes closed shut and he winced realizing his mistake. They may have had sex hundreds of times in the past, but this was all new for Peyton again. "Of course not." He replied after a pause. "I'm sorry." He pressed their foreheads together. "I didn't mean to make it seem like tonight wasn't special. I just really miss being with you that way. I was thinking with my dick. I'm sorry baby." He kissed her.

"I know." Peyton replied forgiving him. Her hands played with the collar of his dress shirt. "But hey guess what? It's less than an hour until midnight and then you get to take me home. And we can negotiate on the drive home whether or not the dress stays on." She grinned teasingly.

Lucas swallowed hard. "Jesus." He stole another greedy kiss off her lips.

He then took her left hand and pressed a chaste kiss over her ring finger. A few days ago Peyton had removed the engagement ring and wedding band from the chain around her neck and returned them to their rightful place on her finger. It had been one of his Christmas presents from her. In his opinion the only one he really needed. It was the only one that mattered to him most.

Lucas' thumb played with the wedding band, gently turning it over her finger over and over again. "I don't know what's sexier, you in this dress or seeing those rings right back where they belong." He confessed.

Peyton grinned up at the man and pressed her lips to his ear. "How about me wearing nothing else but these rings?" She offered up.

Lucas gasped for air once he realized that he had actually forgotten to breathe there. His blood boiled over with excitement and pure lust. That had been a cruel tease and the sudden tightness of his pants could vouch for that.

How much longer until midnight again?

* * *

Can I just say how much I loved to hate Rachel Gatina? She was an uber bitch, but I loved her anyway. No one can deny that she didn't keep shit interesting, and seeing her and Brooke team up on the show was always fun to watch. They were the perfect pair of frenemies.

So I think it's pretty self-explanatory where we are heading in the next chapter. And I know most of you have been waiting a long time for it. So stay tuned guys! And share those thoughts and comments with me in a review!

Until next time!


	33. Pillowtalk

Reviews

 **Herdawness** – Thank you! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It's good to be back.

 **jordana60** – Glad you're still reading. I really do always look forward to your reviews! They're always just so thoughtful and honest, and I really do love you for that. Also, I'm glad you caught the last chapter just in time before this one! I wonder how it slipped past you, so weird!

 **Hiya** – Thank you so much!

 **0o-ThisIsMe-o0** – Hi there new reader! I'm super honored that this story is your introduction into OTH fanfiction and I hope it encourages you to explore some more! There are a lot of great OTH stories running around here written by some great talented authors. I'm really glad you're enjoying Strangers. It always means a lot to me to read everyone's thoughts and reactions, and please don't apologies for lengthy reviews! I love them, so feel free to write away because I'll faithfully be reading every single word, and I really do love responding to comments and answering questions from readers.

 **B** – Yes, but I'm back! Thank you for your patience and support.

 **capella12** – Thank you for your kind words. So sorry for the wait.

 **Tpassions** – Happy you enjoyed the build up in the last chapter and many thanks for your endless support and for faithfully reviewing all the time.

 **Annie** – A little jealously can be an excellent motivator for some much needed heated passion, am I right? Lol

 **S. Jamedra** – Absolutely! Peyton may not be 100% herself these days, but she's definitely never been afraid to stand her ground, plus it's kinda super fun for her to tease Lucas when he's all over her, lol. But anyway there will be no more beating around the bush, third time IS a charm, so enjoy the chapter!

 **atnelly** \- Thanks!

 **thibbs65** – Yea I thought having them both acting a bit jealous would be cute, especially since the sexual tension between them is at its thickest. Peyton's trust for Lucas had been strong and steady for some time now – before their LA trip. While Lucas' trust for Peyton faltered due to their fight during that trip, but Peyton has worked hard to regain it now that she's made it clear she doesn't anyone but him.

 **Chilarie07** – I'm super excited myself that Leyton has finally reached this point in the present! Hope this chapter does not disappoint!

 **Mufc87** – I'm so happy to hear you like the way Leyton is interacting now. Everything is finally clicking into place for them. Those two want each other so badly at this point so you're damn right it's gonna be explosive, lol! Enjoy!

 **Guest** – I know I'm a bit late, but I'm here with your latest dose/chapter. Thanks for hanging in there while I've been away.

 **Guest** – I'm still here and I hope this chapter satisfies those cravings!

 **Guest** – I've made your day?! Well you've certainly made mine with your enthusiasm and excitement for the next chapter. That's just so awesome.

 **Guest** – You're checking every hour?! Lol. You are the best. I hope this chapter does not disappoint.

* * *

The long awaited chapter is finally here! Just wanna say that I love you all and thanks for hanging in there with me!

Chapter Track: 'Pillowtalk' by Zayn

* * *

Chapter 33: Pillowtalk

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – January 2015**

Peyton breathed out heavily as she allowed that familiar rush of lust to take control and overpower her. She was drowning in it. Drowning in the mixture of the alcohol induced lightheaded state she was currently in, coupled with the uncontrollable physical need and want she had for her husband. This desire that had been building up for the past two days, a burning flame that had yet to be extinguished. His body was flushed up against hers, the weight of his hard muscular frame pinning her body against the front door of their home, preventing her from moving at all.

At midnight they had raised their champagne glasses and toasted to the night, not before sharing a steamy kiss of course as they rang in the New Year at Tric with all their friends. They only lasted about fifteen minutes before they both quite literally dragged each other out the door of the club and jumped into a cab.

His mouth was on her neck, while his hands aggressively gripped the back of her thighs. His name quietly spilled past Peyton's lips when he ran his tongue up along the side of her neck, traveling slowly until it reached her earlobe, flicking it with the tip of his tongue.

"Peyton?" Lucas hummed with his lips pressed up against her ear.

"Hmm?"

"I've decided that this dress is coming off after all." He teased.

Peyton closed her eyes and swallowed hard, her throat drying up. Her hips jerked against his as she eagerly rubbed herself over his erection. Lucas dug his hips into hers forcing her to halt her movements, trapped in between the door and his body. She released a frustrated huff at his actions.

"I want you so bad baby." His mouth had left her ear and his face now reappeared before hers. Lucas rested his forehead against Peyton's, his lips slightly grazing hers in a teasing manner.

"I want you too Lucas." She lightly panted over his lips and rested her hands over his shoulders.

The blond shook his head lightly. "No you don't understand." He gruffed out. "I want you so bad right now that I can barely control myself." His fingers dug into the back of her thighs. "I pictured this moment a thousand times over in my head. I was gonna take my time, I was gonna go slow and worship every inch of your body."

Peyton shivered against him. She definitely liked the sound of that.

"And I don't think I can do that right now." He confessed. "I just have to have you right now." This dance they had been doing for the past two days had pushed Lucas past his limits. He had wanted this moment between them to be a little more romantic. He had planned on taking his time making love to her all night, but that was then. All he wanted to do now was bury himself inside of Peyton and make her scream his name over and over again until they both came hard. "But I will make it up to you later." He promised.

Peyton quickly nodded understanding completely. This wasn't going to be sweet, or gentle, nor romantic in the least, and honestly she was completely fine with that. There would be plenty of time for that later. They had both wanted this for so long now that honestly she was surprised they hadn't ripped off each other's clothes the second they had walked through the door. "I'm okay with that." She exhaled deeply. "I don't need you to control yourself right now Lucas. I want you to fuck me and I want you to do it now." One of her hands on his shoulder slid up and yanked at the hair situated at the nape of his neck.

Lucas mouthed a quick _fuck_ , her blunt words sending a jolt straight to his hardened length. He internally thanked god that Peyton was completely on the same page and then promptly closed the gap between their lips. The touch of his lips delivered a burning sensation that began its descent from the top of her lips all the way down to the very tip of her toes. He allowed her hips to grind over his once more and she moaned appreciatively in his mouth when his hands slipped behind her back and squeezed her ass through the thin material of her short black dress. Lucas wanted this thing to come off now.

Her hands shot down to his chest, her fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, failing miserably to get them undone. Her hands were fidgeting around and she couldn't get them under control. This was really happening now. And unfortunately for Peyton that's exactly when the nerves decided to kick in. Though they had already been intimate with each other in other ways, the situation still caused her to be on edge somewhat, no matter how much she wanted this to happen – which she absolutely did, wholeheartedly. Nonetheless she was sharing her body with someone new for the first time and she couldn't stop the doubts that suddenly streamed through the inner workings of her mind.

 _What if it was bad? What if she was bad? Would it be just like Lucas remembered? Would he be disappointed? What if they weren't ready and it completely ruined all the progress they had made?_

Peyton hears him lightly chuckle at her, his chest vibrating. "Hey, what's wrong?" Lucas questioned. His hands clasped over her shaky ones.

Her green eyes dart up to meet his blue ones. "I just got really nervous." Peyton replies with a weak smile.

"Hey it's just me." He tells her softly. "It's just us."

"I know." Suddenly feeling shy, her eyes drop back down, focusing instead on their combined hands resting over his chest. A few moments of silence pass before she watches Lucas take the lead, unbuttoning his shirt, accomplishing the simple task she hadn't been able to. Peyton's hands immediately seek out his bare chest. "I can't help it. This is kind of a big deal. We haven't done this before and…" She makes a face and pauses. "Okay well I know we HAVE done this before, but all that's…gone now." Peyton huffs in frustration.

"You have nothing to be nervous about baby, it's just me." Lucas reassured her once more. His lips lock over hers without delay, kissing her with such urgency as he attempts to ease away her fears and it works. She returns Lucas' heated kisses as her hands are stroking his chest and abdomen. Her hands eventually travel up past Lucas' chest and when she reaches his shoulders, her fingers push the fabric of his dress shirt down past his shoulders and over his arms until it falls to the floor. Lucas pressed her body back against the door, his hands are now glued to her thighs, slowly inching their way up under her dress. Peyton's body soon begins to tremble in anticipation of where his hands are heading. Her chest heaves at a rapid pace as she struggles to maintain her breath while their lips continue to frantically pull and push against each other. His right hand disappears underneath Peyton's dress and between her legs to cup her, immediately making her breath hitch. Lucas on the other hand stiffens from the contact when he realized something was missing. He ceases the ministrations of his tongue inside her mouth and detaches their lips. "Peyton?" He speaks with both eyes slightly narrowing down at the blonde.

"What?" She murmurs unhappily. She then begins to rub herself against the hand lodged between her legs, hoping he'd take the hint and really start touching her.

"Where are your panties?" He demanded to know, his hand still cupping her tightly.

"Oh that? They got uncomfortable so I took them off." Peyton said dismissively while trying to pull him back into a kiss.

Lucas rebuked the move. "What do you mean you took them off? Have you been walking around all night without any underwear?" He gruffed unhappily. The dress she was wearing tonight wasn't exactly at a respectable length.

"Well not ALL night…" She corrected innocently teasing him.

Lucas frowned.

"What? You think you were the only one on edge all night?" She challenged. They had been purposely teasing each other all evening and it wasn't that much of a stretch that her aroused body had responded naturally, and then her underwear grew to be really uncomfortable. Halfway through the night she couldn't take it anymore and had gone into the bathroom, ridding herself of her soaked underwear. "I probably should have brought a backup pair." She joked.

Lucas' mouth faltered. He was caught between being really turned on at her confession or annoyed at the fact that there was a possibility that anyone – more particularly male- could have gotten a peek at the goods. "Are you out of your mind? What if someone saw?!" He hissed immediately thinking of all those basketball players at the club tonight. "Please tell me you were still wearing them when we were dancing at least." He questioned as his mind recalled how they basically had grinded all over each other on that dance floor.

"Ummm…"

Lucas' blue eyes widened in horror. "Peyton!" He scolded.

Peyton's pressed her lips into a thin line, trying her best not to laugh at Lucas' reaction.

"I don't know why you think this is so funny." He replied in a dead tone, obviously unamused.

Peyton cleared her throat. "You're right, it's not." She tried looking serious, but her lips broke out into a grin.

Lucas groaned unhappily.

"I was careful Luke." She reassured him. "I didn't bend down or get too low at any point. No one got a show, I promise." She pressed their lips together.

Lucas still had quite the frown over his face but nonetheless he returned the kiss. "No one but me should get to see what's underneath this dress." The hand between her legs cupped her once more. "This belongs to me." He mumbled over Peyton's lips.

"I agree." She stated intent on stroking his ego so that he could relax. "I'm yours." She ran her fingers through the back of his hair.

"Yet you insisted on taking off your panties."

"Maybe you should punish me then." Peyton playfully teased.

"Damn right I should." Lucas gruffed over her mouth as his fingers began to stroke her. Peyton moaned and forcefully pushed herself against Lucas' hand as he continued to tease her. "You're soaked." He breathed into her ear. "You're practically dripping all over my hand." Peyton moaned again. "Turn around."

"Huh?" She was heavily dazed in her lust and hadn't quite heard him.

"Turn around now." Lucas commanded.

The blonde wasted no time and did as she was told, turning over so that her front was now facing the door. Lucas' lips dropped down to her exposed back, leaving behind a trail of wet kisses, while his hand searched for the zipper situated on the left side of her dress. He quickly freed Peyton from her dress, tugging it down until it pooled at her feet leaving her completely naked. The exposed back of the dress had forced her to ditch wearing a bra this evening. Peyton stepped out of the dress and Lucas quickly kicked the fabric aside. She then made a move to remove her shoes, but he quickly put a stop to that.

"Heels stays on." Lucas spoke roughly into her ear as he pressed himself against her back. Peyton bit back a moan and arched her back against him. His naked chest clung to the skin of her back and even through his pants she could feel his hardness nudging her at the small of her back.

Lucas' hands slid over her flat stomach and descended further down. He ran his tongue along the curve of her left shoulder while his hands went to work between her legs. Peyton pressed the side of her face against the door, soft moans escaping past her lips as two of Lucas' fingers circled around her clit. She then gasps loudly the second she feels him inserts a finger inside her warm wet center, her inner muscle clamping around him instantly. The finger inside her pumps in and out at a nice pace giving her time to adjust to the feel of it before Lucas decides to insert a second digit. He pushes both fingers deeper inside her core before curving them forward causing Peyton's hips to buckle.

"Shit." Peyton hisses as her fingernails dig into the front door. Once more, her chest is heaving rapidly as Lucas continues his ministrations. His fingers are thrusting at a faster pace, while his other hand is still busy applying pressure over her tiny buddle of nerves. Her head falls back onto his shoulder, grabbing his face to pull his lips over hers. Soon she's whimpering into Lucas' mouth as she feels the warmth of her impending orgasm begin to spread.

And then suddenly without any warning his hands are gone.

"Now what was that about me giving you some sort of punishment?" Lucas teased with a grin.

"Lucas Scott!" Peyton shouted, outraged that he hadn't let her come. She was so close. She tried to turn around to face him, but his hands gripped her waist, keeping her in place. "Luke." She whined in frustration.

Lucas chuckled. "I'm only playing baby." He kisses her running the tip of his tongue between her swollen lips. One of the hands at her waist return back down to stroke her, while the other fumbles to get his own pants undone, freeing his throbbing hard-on. Lucas pressed himself back against her, his erection nestled right between the cheeks of her ass. He releases a hard groan as he feels Peyton rubbing her ass against him. "Peyt are you back on birth control?" He wonders while already holding on to the condom he had pulled out of the pocket his pants.

Peyton quickly shakes her head releasing another moan as she continues to rotate her hips against him and squirm against the fingers that are skillfully plucking her strings as if she were a guitar. To be honest the thought hadn't even occurred to her. Well that was stupid.

Lucas had figured as much, making sure to pick up a box of condoms at the drugstore earlier this week just in case. Though a small part of him had hoped that Peyton was back on the pill. It had been ages since they had used condoms.

"Luke…please." Peyton desperately moans out. She feels the steady build up of her orgasm yet again, but she wants him inside of her. She needs him so badly. She wants to come while he's inside of her.

She's about to open her mouth to protest when she feels the hand between her legs disappear, but soon hears the ripping of the condom wrapper behind her and relaxes. When he's done , one of his hands go to grip her left hip and uses the other to guide himself between her legs, slowly pushing inside of her center.

Lucas is only about half way inside and Peyton releases an unwelcome hiss of discomfort. It hurts. Peyton had done the math in her head and figured that the last time her and Lucas had slept together had probably been around early October right before her accident. That was almost three months without sex then, so she had been prepared for some initial discomfort, but she hadn't been expecting it to sting this badly. She was warm, wet and ready for him, and yet her inner walls tightened around his length rejecting the sudden intrusion. She heard Lucas moan behind her from how tight she was. His mouth fell over the side of her neck, his teeth nipping at her skin as he pulled back slightly before raising his hips forward, pushing the rest of his hard length deep inside her and stretching out her walls with his movements. Peyton's nails dug into door in front of her, she bit down on her bottom lip attempting to muffle her sounds of discomfort. She told herself just needed to get through this first part. It would feel better in a little while. She just needed to force herself to relax against him.

He delivers another slow thrust and another hiss passes through her lips before she can stop it. Lucas catches it this time and stills right away. "Hey are you okay?" He questions realizing that Peyton's less responsive to his touches then she was mere minutes ago. That didn't seem right. He takes notice of how tense and high her shoulders are raised, and how her fingers are scratching at the door. Lucas then tilts his head forward to look at her, his hand cupping her chin and guiding her head the side so that he can get a good look at her. Her eyes are glossy and the pure look of arousal that she had been sporting earlier had completely vanished. His face fell. "Shit. I'm hurting you, aren't I?" He spoke picking up on the pained look across her face. Her bottom lip was swollen from biting down on it.

"I'm okay. We just haven't done this in a while right?"

"Jesus." Lucas huffed pulling out immediately.

Peyton whimpered. "Don't." She didn't want him to stop. "It'll be fine. Just keep going." She tried to reason with him.

Lucas scoffed. "I'm hurting you babe." He mumbled out a curse, annoyed with himself that he'd rushed through this instead of making sure she was fully prepared. "You should have said something. I want you to feel good." He kissed the side of Peyton's face. His right hand was back between her legs and one of his fingers gently prods at her entrance. It slips in easily and he quickly adds another.

Peyton releases a heavy breath as her eyes snap shut. His fingers moving inside her feels heavenly, but it's a far cry from what she really wants from Lucas right now. So the blonde decides to take matters into her own hands. She pulls her arm back, her hand reaching behind her and wrapping around his dick. He's still impossibly hard and her hand delivers a hard squeeze.

"Fuck." Lucas grunts, his eyes rolling back when Peyton squeezes his length a second time. She then guides him – quite forcibly – towards her aching core. "Are you sure?" He spoke warily.

"God yes." She replies out of breath as his fingers continue to pump inside of her. "I want you Lucas. All of you."

Lucas pulls out his fingers and presses the tip of his length right up against her core. He drops another kiss over Peyton's face before pushing inside of her once more, even slower than before. Peyton can already feel her heart start to pick up speed in anticipation. She's still really wet allowing him to glide in effortlessly. It feels really good at first. He's gentle, and more importantly goes nice and slow as the first couple of inches stroke her walls. Lucas knows Peyton's doing okay when he hears her lustfully cry out his name. But as more of him fills her up, that tight pressure of discomfort returns and Peyton's shoulders tense up immediately from the stinging pain. Lucas stills giving her time to adjust to him. "I've got you baby." He coos in her ear.

Peyton takes in a deep breath and softly urges Lucas to move inside of her. The discomfort is much more bearable this time then it was on the first try. She hums softly upon feeling his warm tongue slowly run up the back of her neck. It's a welcomed distraction as Lucas resumes to gently fuck her. He pulls back, though not completely, before delivering a slow and shallow thrust of his hips. He pushes in a little deeper making Peyton flinch as her inner muscles are being stretched by his length. He stills inside her for a bit before repeating the same move.

Peyton closes her eyes shut. She focuses on the mouth and tongue that are still warm against the back of her neck. She focuses on Lucas' heated breath hitting her skin and the pleasurable grunts that spill from his mouth as her tight heat embraces every inch of his cock. It works, this renewed focus. She's more turned on as a result. Her arousal spikes and she feels herself growing wetter and slicker around him. The pain has gradually dwindled leaving behind a dull ache in its wake. It's actually starting to feel really good now and her enthusiastic moans can attest to that. She can tell that Lucas is struggling to go slow. The tight grip his hands have over her hips letting her know that he wants to fuck her harder and faster.

She wants that too.

They reach the point where Lucas finally pushes all the way in. One of his hands immediately fall over her already swollen clit, his fingers rubbing over it eagerly.

"Luke…" She pants heavily desperate to reach her release. This would be the third time he's brought her to the brink of an orgasm this evening and she hoped to god he actually delivers this time. Third time supposed to be a charm right? Her muscles have already started contracting around his throbbing dick.

Lucas notices that Peyton's shoulders are no longer tense. They've fallen and she appears more relaxed now. She's whimpering in pleasure as his fingers continue to stroke her clit and her ass starts to push back to meet his slow and gentle thrusts. She's rotating her hips, grinding down against him, encouraging him to pick up speed. He slams into her suddenly and it has Peyton begging out for more. His mouth is at her ear and he gently nips at the back. "Are you ready to come baby?" He growls in the blonde's ear. She nods enthusiastically in response, her mouth falling open, gasping for air, as her pleasure continues to build against his hard strokes. Her walls are clenched tightly around him, but Lucas doesn't falter with his movements. He moves inside of her quickly and so do the fingers circling her tiny hard nub.

Peyton tosses an arm back circling it around his neck and she drops her head back to rest over his shoulder. They're both moaning simultaneously from the delicious friction being created now that Lucas is fucking her uncontrollably just like he promised he would. She feels so tight around him that he can barely keep his eyes open. He delivers another deep stroke and her vision goes completely blank for a few seconds. The pressure in her lower belly intensifies and her body trembles when she finally does snap and that first wave of her orgasm takes over. Peyton's fingernails dig into the side of Lucas' neck while she cries out in ecstasy as her hips repeatedly jerk and buckle wildly against him, eagerly welcoming the gratifying warmth that spreads throughout her entire body. She probably would have collapsed to the floor from the intense force of her orgasm if Lucas hadn't been tightly holding on to her waist while he continued to rock his hips from behind.

"Don't stop." Peyton pleads as her vision starts to return despite the lightheadedness she's still experiencing. He had suddenly pulled out and she hates the empty feeling.

"I'm right here." Lucas reassures her. He takes a few steps back, pulling Peyton with him, and then places a hand on her back pushing it forward, so that she's slightly hunched over and her ass is sticking out. Lucas wastes no time roughly thrusting inside of her once more, filling her up nicely.

Peyton's hands shoot out, grabbing on to the door for support. She's moaning heavily as he continues to fuck her from behind. The alteration in their positions has the tip of his dick hitting her sweet spot every time he comes in deep. It feels absolutely amazing and she encourages him to fuck her harder, and naturally Lucas is more than eager to comply with the request. The front door rattles violently with each delivered stroke as Peyton holds on tightly. She doesn't know how much longer she'll be able to hold on. She's close to falling apart all over again. Her clit is throbbing and she sighs in satisfaction when she feels Lucas' fingers again, it was as if he had been reading her mind. She's still so sensitive that she reaches release a lot quicker than before. It's less intense than the first orgasm, but it has the blonde happily crying out all the same. Peyton's walls pulsate around his length and the powerful pressure has Lucas falling over the edge as well. His fingers painfully dig into her hips as he slams into her over and over again, groaning loudly until he's completely spent and unable to move.

They fall in a heap on the floor soon after. Both of them panting heavily, still barely moving and utterly lost for words. Eventually Lucas finds the strength to pull off his pants, which had been pooled around his ankles this entire time, and then kicks of his shoes. He pulls his beautiful wife onto his lap. His hand travels south from her thighs down to her feet to remove her heels before snaking them back up to rest at her waist. He admires the state that she's in. Her skin has a thin sheet of perspiration, her face has a red tint to it, her hair is a tangled mess of curls, and yet she still manages to look absolutely stunning. This is his girl. She belongs to him and god does he loves her so much.

Peyton shifts around in his lap, straddling him. She grabs his face and kisses him feverishly. "Is it always like that?" She speaks for the first time, panting lightly over his lips. It had been even better than she thought it would be.

Lucas grins. "That was just the warm up." He growls making Peyton giggle.

* * *

 _Four days later…_

It was rather late into the morning and Lucas and Peyton remained in bed soundly asleep. Normally they'd both be up by this time, already filled up on coffee and breakfast, but as of late they had been engaged in certain activities that had left them both utterly exhausted. Last night they had gone to bed at a pretty decent time too, but then Lucas had woken up in the middle of night with an overwhelming need for the sleeping blonde next to him. He had woken Peyton up in a hurry and they spent the next two hours fooling around and having sex until fatigue had won them over once more.

The door bell rang and Lucas' eyes grudgingly opened. In his drowsy state his eyelids fluttered open repeatedly as they adjusted to the morning light. When the door bell rang again a small groan escaped his throat as he realized what had stirred him awake. His blue eyes were fixated on the ceiling wishing away whoever was at the door. The blond had zero interest in moving even an inch. But the visitor outside his home persisted. The door bell rung yet again followed by the loud rapping of a hard fist knocking against the door. Lucas released an annoyed sigh and quickly turned to his side to look over at Peyton.

His wife was dead to the world. Peyton was buried deep under the covers with her messy curls and only part of her face peeking through. When the bell rang again she stirred slightly, but her eyes remained shut and she fell still once more, her lips slightly parted as heavy breaths of air escaped her mouth. There was a tiny smile of smugness that grazed Lucas' lips, satisfied with himself over how much he had worn her out last night. Peyton had passed out shortly after he had made her come with his tongue. Twice.

"Son of a bitch." Lucas grumbled as he rolled off the bed and ran a hand over his face. Whoever was at his front door was clearly not giving up. The blond clumsily stumbled around the room until he found a pair of basketball short to slip over his naked frame before making his way to the front of the house. He unlocked the door and swung it open. "Oh. It's you." He spoke flatly seemingly unimpressed with his visitor. "What do you want? I'm sleeping." Lucas gruffed out.

"Nice to see you too sunshine." Nathan mocked. He raised an arm and leaned it against the door frame. The raven haired man was dressed in basketball shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. "Sooo…you two come up for air yet?" He questioned his brother with a rather smug look taking a hold of his features.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas spoke tiredly through a yawn as he scratched the back of his head.

"No one has seen or heard from you two since New Year's." Nathan pointed out. "I saw the way you guys were all over each other at the party. Doesn't take a genius to figure out what you and Peyton have been up to for the last four days."

Lucas groaned. "Really? That's why you came over here? To check up on me to see if I've been having sex?" He shot Nathan a worried look borderlining disgust. "You've just taken this whole sibling thing to a creepy new level by the way."

Nathan grimaced. "Hell no. I know when to mind my own business. Haley and Brooke on the other hand…"

Lucas' eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Haley hasn't stopped pestering me since your little disappearing act. It's even worse when her and Brooke join forces."

"Wait so why are you here again?"

"Well unofficially I'm here spying for Hales."

"Because she couldn't call to say hello?" Lucas drawled out.

"Apparently she didn't want to interrupt anything that may or may not be going on." Nathan replied while making air quotes.

"So she sent you instead to do her dirty work?"

"Naturally. Your sister-in-law is many wonderful things, but subtle isn't one of them. Also it's kind of impossible to say no to Brooke when she's mean and pregnant. Julian man…that poor fool sure has got his work cut out for him."

Lucas chuckled.

"Anyway the real reason why I'm here is because I'm meeting up with the guys at the river court for a game. Junk had to bail last minute so we're down a man and need a fourth. Fergie and Skills are already there."

"Dude I can't." Lucas replied while shaking his head. "I'm exhausted." The man just wanted to go back to his warm comfy bed.

"Late night huh?" Nathan teased with a smirk and raised eyebrows.

"I'm slamming the door in your face now." Lucas spoke deadpanned as he reached for the door.

Nathan stretched a hand out over the door to stop him. "Now c'mon, hold up. It's just a quick game."

"Gee now where have I heard that before?" Lucas mocked remembering how Nathan had kept him out all day on Christmas Eve.

"Hey that was all Peyton's doing." Nathan defended. "Besides we can't play just the three of us. You have to come and I'm not leaving til you do, so how bout give your dick a little breathing room and go get dressed. Peyton will still be here when you get back."

"You kiss your wife with that mouth?" The blond accused.

Nathan shrugged. "Actually you'd be surprised how far a little dirty talk goes with Haley." He said fondly.

Lucas' face fell flat. "I SO did not need to know that." He pretended to gag.

Nathan threw his head back and roared with laughter. "I'll wait for you in the car man. Hurry up." He headed back to his truck before his brother could protest again.

As soon as Nathan had slid into the driver's seat, his phone went off. He smiled while shaking his head, already well aware of who the caller on the line was. "Hi Hales." He greeted.

" _Are you at Lucas' yet?"_ Haley spoke hurriedly over the phone.

"Yes dear." Nathan mocked. "We're heading out to the river court, just waiting on him to get dressed."

" _Well?"_

"Well?" Nathan replied playfully.

Haley sighed loudly over the line and Nathan was sure his wife was no doubt rolling her eyes.

" _Well what happened? Did you see Peyton? What have they been doing?"_

"I think she's still sleeping. They both were when I got here."

" _At this hour?"_ His wife spoke suspiciously. _"It's after eleven."_ She pointed out.

"I guess they like to sleep."

" _Hmm interesting."_

"Not really." Nathan said flatly.

" _Well did you find out anything else? Why haven't we heard from them at all?"_ Haley pressed on. Neither Lucas nor Peyton had returned her calls or anyone's for that matter.

"Oh they're totally doing it." He answered confidently. "Though I didn't need to come all the way over here to know that."

Everyone knew it. The entire group had been gossiping about it for the last couple of days now.

The loud squeals that erupted from his phone forced Nathan to yank it way from his ear. "Jesus." He muttered from the shrill sound. "You're with Brooke aren't you?" He concluded observing that there was more than one voice squealing over line.

That woman was a bad influence.

* * *

"Baby."

Peyton mumbled something incoherent as she felt Lucas gently nudge her for the second time. She opened her eyes, her green orbs picking up on Lucas instantly. His tall frame stood over the bed. Her lips curved up forming a sleepy smile. "What are you doing out of bed?" She rasped disapprovingly. One of her delicate hands left the warmth of the covers and reached out for him. Her fingers slipped inside the waistband of Lucas' shorts and she tugged him forwarded until he fell back into bed on top of her. "Morning breath can be sexy right?" Peyton teased making Lucas chuckle as he accepted the kiss she offered.

"Nate's outside. We're gonna go play at the river court with the guys for a bit." He informed Peyton as one of his hands caressed the left side of her face. His lips dipped back down to kiss her again.

Peyton slowly nodded. This little solitary bubble that they'd been in for the past few days had to pop sometime. Peyton was sad to see it end, but she also knew it was probably time to rejoin the real world. She had already seen all the missed calls from Brooke and Haley that she had ignored. "Okay. Have fun." She said quietly as her hands stroked his bare chest. "Hurry back to me."

Lucas smiled. "Always." He kissed Peyton one last time on the lips and then dropped another over her forehead before getting up to change.

Peyton sat up in bed tugging the covers up to her chest to cover her nakedness and watched Lucas move around the room to get ready. He had briefly disappeared into bathroom only to reappear with a toothbrush in his mouth. He brushed his teeth with one hand while the other dug around in his chest of drawers for suitable workout clothes. Peyton quietly admired the way the muscles of his arm moved with each stroke of his toothbrush.

God she loved those arms. She could spend all day staring at them too. She found them incredibly sexy and just…manly.

Lucas looked back at the blonde noticing where her eyes had fallen. He chuckled and sent her a playful wink before returning to the bathroom with his clothes in hand. He was back a few minutes later fully dressed and looking more awake than he did ten minutes ago. "Okay I'm gonna head out babe." He announced as he slipped on the new basketball kicks Nathan had given him for Christmas. They were a limited edition that were impossible to find anywhere, and word was they did not come cheap. Nathan had also given Skills, Junk and Fergie a pair as well.

"Tell the guys I said hi."

Lucas nodded before exiting the room.

"Hey Luke?"

He backtracked and looked back into the room. "Yeah?"

"When you get back don't bother showering." She instructed. "Come straight to bed."

Lucas sent his wife a curious look. He tried his damnedest to suppress the full out grin that was threatening to escape. "Oh how come?" He said feigning innocence on what his wife was implying.

"Well you're just gonna get all sweaty again once you get home anyway." She replied rather seriously. "Figure we might as well conserve water." She added before breaking out into a massive grin.

His eyes darkened with lust. "Mrs. Scott you should know better than to tease a grown man like that." He really was this close to ditching Nathan and pulling the covers off Peyton instead.

Peyton innocently shrugged her shoulders at him. "Not a tease, just something…for you to think about while you're away and I'm here…all alone in bed."

Lucas' eyes closed shut as he swallowed thickly. "You still better be naked under those covers when I get back." He sternly ordered.

"Mmmmh…guess you'll have to wait and see." She teased.

Lucas pursed his lips unhappily. Playing basketball was the last thing on his mind right now.

This woman was going to be the death of him.

But honestly this was nothing new. He had always been and would always be addicted to Peyton Sawyer.

* * *

"Sweet Jesus he lives!" Skills dramatically announced as the Scott brothers stepped onto the tarmac and approached him and Fergie.

"Oh god not you too." Lucas groaned and rolled his eyes. You would think he'd gone missing for months not four measly days.

Skills and Fergie looked at each other before grinning.

"We just missed you that's all." Skills spoke nonchalantly. "How is skinny girl by the way?"

The question only earned Skills another eye roll from Lucas. "Knock it off." The blond said while shaking his head. He then swiped the ball from Fergie's hands and began dribbling around the court.

"Knock what off?" Fergie teased.

"Yea I have no idea what you're referring to my man." Skills quickly added.

Nathan laughed.

"You guys suck." Lucas grumbled.

"Hey we're just wondering what you've been up to these past few days." Fergie spoke gleefully, even though the answer was obvious to everyone there.

"Luke's been taking care of business. Obviously." Skills interjected before Lucas could protest. "And apparently he's been handling business _real_ well." He turned to Nathan. "Hey Nate, were either one of them walking funny when you got to house?"

Nathan laughed even harder.

"Don't be disrespectful. That's my wife you're talking about." Lucas threw the ball at Skills hitting him square in the gut.

"A pulled muscle is no joke Luke." Fergie quipped. "Especially in the groin."

"Har, har." Lucas sarcastically drawled out. "Are we playing or what?" He deflected eager to move on.

"So it was good then?" Skills inferred. He wiggled his eyebrows at Lucas on purpose to rile him up a bit.

"I'll tell you what, when you two knuckleheads each get a sex life to speak of then we'll swap stories." Lucas shot back.

Fergie dramatically placed a hand over his chest. "That hurt my heart Luke. Don't be hating just because you ain't living this single life. All these ladies just begging for my attention and thankfully there's more than enough Fergalicious to go around."

"Too bad no one wants any of it." Nathan cracked.

"Ya wrong." Fergie scolded and pointed his finger over at his three friends as they laughed at him loudly.

"ANYWAY…" Skills began. "You're actually not the only one who got lucky on New Year's Luke." He boasted.

"You took home one of the dancers?" Lucas questioned looking rather impressed. Skills had been scheming to hookup with a Bobcats dance team member for years now.

Fergie scoffed. "Please, his game ain't that good."

"Yo shut up man!" Skills took a cue from Lucas and tossed the ball towards Fergie's gut.

"So who was it then?" Lucas wondered.

"Bevin Mirskey." Nathan offered up.

Lucas' eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You're kidding." He looked over at Skills. "How the hell did that happen?" Bevin had gone to high school with them and was actually an old friend of both Brooke and Peyton from their cheerleading days.

Skills shrugged. "Beats me. We just started talking somehow. She's cute though right?"

Lucas nodded. "Yea man, nice work." He congratulated.

"I'm seeing her again tonight actually."

"Really?" Lucas spoke once again looking dumbfounded.

"What? You don't like her or something?"

"What? No, she's nice. It's just that…I guess…" Lucas scratched the back of his head awkwardly not exactly sure how to proceed. "You guys are just…so different? You're you…and she's just so…"

"Dumb as a post?" Nathan spoke bluntly wanting to move the conversation along and get to the game.

Lucas looked over at his brother and frowned. "Wow Haley really won the lottery when she picked you huh?" He sneered.

Nathan shrugged. "We were all thinking it." He defended.

Skills' head teetered from side to side. "Yea she's…peculiar." He admitted. "But I think I actually kind of like her. She's fun."

"Well can't argue with that. Good for you man." Lucas said genuinely happy for his friend. It had been awhile since Skills had dated anyone seriously. His last girlfriend had been Lauren, one of Jamie's past school teachers. They had ended things over a year ago.

"Thanks player." Skills replied and they bumped fists. "We'll see what happens."

"So are we gonna play ball or what? Or did we just come out here to gossip like a bunch of teenage girls?" Nathan snatched the ball from Fergie and dribbled it down the court before delivering the perfect layup. He then passed the ball to his brother.

"So Luke you never answered my question. Was it good?" Skills questioned, his smirk returning. "I mean that dress right?" He teased remembering how irked his friend had been from all the attention Peyton had received New Year's Eve.

Lucas grinned and playfully shook his head as he gripped the basketball in his hands preparing to take his shot. "It was better than good. It was fucking incredible." He jumped taking the three-point shot, getting nothing but net, and feeling more like a winner than he had in a really long time.

* * *

Two hours later Lucas was stepping through the front door of his home. Taking Peyton's request to heart, he skipped the shower, peeling off his clothes as he made his way to their bedroom. He slipped under the covers and made love to her for the rest of the afternoon.

When the pair finally emerged from bed they headed straight to the kitchen, having worked up quite the appetite. They heated up all the leftovers they had in the fridge and proceeded to stuff their faces until they could barely move. After that they went about tidying up the house, which mostly involved putting away all the Christmas decorations and tossing out the tree. They were flying back to New York the day after tomorrow and didn't want to leave the place a mess.

Lucas was currently in the living room, lounging in the loveseat of the room, his feet resting up on the matching ottoman, while he read a book. He was fresh from a long overdue shower and Peyton was now in the bathroom doing the same. It was nice to relax and actually have the time to read leisurely after having to work like a mad man during the past couple of weeks. The novel was done. He had sent the final version of his manuscript to Lindsey a couple of days ago and it had now been sent to copyediting.

He was reading for another twenty minutes before Peyton joined him. She wordlessly squeezed into the loveseat with him and threw her legs over his. Lucas draped an arm over Peyton's back and she settled her head over his chest and stroked his stomach with her fingertips, while he read out the pages of his book to her. Though the words were never expressed out loud, neither one of them couldn't help but think how absolutely perfect things were between them right now. This new thing between them felt real now more than ever. They weren't just playing house anymore. It was a committed relationship. It was still a far cry from what they had before, but it was becoming clearer to both Lucas and Peyton that they would get there someday. They still had a long way to go, but nonetheless the light at the end of this long dark road felt attainable. They could do this. They could be together. They could be happy. They could be whole again.

Lucas read for another fifteen minutes before closing his book.

"I'm really glad we came back home Luke." Peyton muttered from her spot on his chest. "Thank you for that. I only wish we didn't have to leave already. These days have kind of flown by."

Lucas set the book aside. "You know we could actually stick around longer if you wanted Peyt." He suggested.

The blonde picked up her head making eye contact. "Could we do that?" Peyton wondered.

Lucas nodded. "Sure. I don't see why not. The book is done. I don't have any upcoming meetings in New York and you're not in school right now. Dan's hearing isn't until the end of this month. I was planning on just flying back, but we might as well just stay here until then. Plus you could start getting reacquainted with the label if you're feeling up to it. Haley can show you the ropes. It would be good for you."

"You won't mind if we stay a little longer?" She questioned warily. Lucas always went out of his way to make her happy, but she wanted to be sure this is what he wanted as well. Though she'd be lying if she said the prospect of staying in town for a couple more weeks wasn't tempting.

"Of course not. Tree Hill is home."

Peyton nodded in agreement. "Then in that case I kind of wouldn't mind hanging around a bit longer." She coyly admitted.

"Then we'll stay." Lucas plainly stated.

Peyton gave him a bright smile before gently pressing their lips together. She kissed him tenderly, her lips slowly rolling over his.

"I'm happy Lucas." She confessed after a long beat. "Are you?"

"I'm the happiest I've been in a long time." He replied in all honesty. Even before Peyton's accident the two had been going through a rough patch in their marriage. They hadn't been clicking like they used to.

He noticed the nervous look that suddenly played across her features.

"What if I never remember anything else? What if this is as good as it gets?" She pressed him. "Will you still be happy then? Will I still be enough for you?"

"Even then." Lucas promised. "I've already told you this before Peyton. You will always be enough." He reassured her.

"I just want to make you happy Lucas, the same way you make me."

"I'm happy Peyton. We're happy. You don't have to worry anymore."

Peyton sighed. It was difficult for her not to be concerned. She didn't want to repeat the mistakes of what occurred in LA.

"I forgive you Peyton." Lucas spoke moments later. "Everything that happened back in LA, I forgive you." The anger, hurt, and betrayal he felt was no longer there. Lucas wasn't exactly sure when those feelings had completely dissipated from his system, but it was a relief to know he no longer felt weighed down by them. He was no longer guarded. The wall was down and he had let Peyton into his heart once more.

Peyton froze in place. He might as well have been reading her mind. Her harsh words from their fight were on a constant loop in her mind. Even though she knew Lucas still wanted to be with her, she was still terrified of the thought that he would never be able to truly forgive her. That perhaps the wound she had inflicted was too deep of a cut to ever heal completely.

He placed a hand over hers. "I didn't know for sure if I'd ever be ready to move on from it, but I am. I mean it. I'm ready to put it behind us and I forgive you. We're gonna be okay sweetheart."

The relief that washed over her body was beyond what any words could accurately describe. It was the best damn feeling in the world as this huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. This final dark cloud between them was lifted.

She tried her best not to cry. But of course she failed miserably as her green eyes were flooded with the salty mixture of her tears. Peyton felt his thumbs gently brush away the tears on her cheeks. Lucas then tilted her face forward by the chin and slanted his lips over hers. He kissed her until her tears dried and were replaced with a vast smile.

Still grinning, Peyton grabbed his face, peppering every inch of his skin with sweet kisses. Lucas laughed at her before dropping another kiss over the blonde's lips when she was done assaulting his face. "How would you feel about never leaving this house ever again?" She teased. Everything was just so perfect between them right now inside this house. Did they really need the outside world?

"Funny you should mention that..." Lucas released an awkward laugh. It was only fair that he warned Peyton seeing how his own friends had badgered him relentlessly today. Lucas could only imagine that Brooke would be much worse. "Just so that you're not blindsided or anything…you should probably know that everyone pretty much knows that we've been holed up in here having sex since New Year's."

Peyton's face jerked forward in shock, her curls bouncing along. Her eyebrows practically shot up to the edge of her hairline. "I'm sorry, they know wh-what?!"

Lucas winced, sending her an apologetic look.

She was beyond mortified.

* * *

So there you guys have it! Leyton finally crossed that line and I can promise you there's plenty of more sexy moments between them to come. We're about 2/3 into the story at this point and the end is in sight, but don't worry we still have quite a few chapters left to get through!

I'm dying to know what you guys think of this latest chapter! It actually took me a really long time to finish this for you guys. I've been working on this chapter for over a month now, but lately my muse and motivation for writing had sort of vanished and that contributed to, along with some personal issues, on the short hiatus I decided to take. It was really frustrating too. And while I am ready to dive back into this (because I love this story and would never abandon it or you guys), I will no longer be sticking to weekly updates. Sadly, I just can't do it anymore. It takes a lot of work and a large amount of time to write a chapter and have it edited within a week, especially when my chapters aren't exactly on the short side. So updates will happen when they happen, may it be weekly, bi-weekly, etc., and I hope that doesn't discourage you guys from continuing to follow this story. As always I appreciate all the love and support you guys are constantly sending me. I just adore this community and how supportive and kind people can be despite the fact that we don't even know each other outside of this world.

Thanks guys.


	34. Walking On A Dream

Reviews

 **VriG** – Glad you thought so, thanks!

 **S. Jamedra** – Thanks so much, it's good to be back! The next couple of chapters will focus more on Leyton reconnecting, but we'll get those scenes with Peyton and the rest of the gang down the road.

 **thibbs65** – The guys teasing Lucas was so much fun to write. Glad you enjoyed it!

 **Chilarie07** – So happy to hear you liked the last chapter! Thank you so much for your kind words. I really do appreciate the endless support you always send my way.

 **Talz** – Oh god that opening scene took forever to write, so I'm glad you thought it was hot, lol. It was kind of what I was aiming for. J

 **Tpassions** – You'll just have to keep reading to see what's the deal with Jake! Lol

 **B** – Glad you liked the chapter.

 **LeytonFan4Eva** – Thanks!

 **simplyaprillyn** – Glad you're all caught up now with the story!

 **Destiana. Caldin** – That's so awesome! Thank you so much.

 **leyte** – I love how much you love this story. I do too obviously!

 **Mufc87** – It'll be smooth sailing for a while. Lots of more happy Leyton moments to come.

 **Guest** – Thank you, happy to hear you enjoyed the last chapter.

* * *

Thanks to everyone for checking out the last chapter. I was really feeling the love.

Chapter Track: 'Walking On A Dream' by Empire of the Sun

* * *

Chapter 34: Walking On A Dream 

The morning after she and Lucas had finally done the deed as they say, Peyton remembered Lucas alluding to their tendency to have an exaggerated amount of sex in the past. Initially the blonde had laughed at him. Laughed at what she assumed had been a poorly laid sex joke, but all Lucas did was offer a coy smile in return as they laid in bed together with their limbs wrapped around each other.

However she quickly discovered that he really hadn't been joking at all. Honestly at this point Peyton had completely lost count over how many times they'd had sex these past two weeks. They just couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other, skin in constant contact with the other. They were opposing magnets drawn to each other, moths to a flame, or whatever you wanted to call it. Even the most innocent of touches would set them off into a frenzied state of lust. A slight brush of the fingertips had the couple rapidly shedding their clothing – and that's when they actually had the patience to completely undress. There had been plenty of times when fabric had been adjusted or shifted to the side, both of them giving in to this impatient need that ruled out waiting of any sort.

Those first few of days of passion when they had locked themselves away from the outside world had been expected. Peyton hadn't been all that surprised that they'd barely left the bedroom during that time. Weeks worth of pent up sexual frustration had finally been released between the two. Hell that first night alone they ended up doing it three times. After Lucas had taken her up against the front door on New Years, their weak legs eventually wobbled into the living room before collapsing on the couch. It wasn't long before Peyton was climbing over him, pulling him to sit up, ready to engage in round two as she proceeded to straddle his lap. When they had finished satisfying themselves on that couch, Peyton had retreated to the kitchen for a much needed glass of water, with Lucas hot on her heels after catching the sight of her walking away from him completely naked. He had let her finish her glass of water before Peyton found herself shrieking in surprise when he tossed her body up over the kitchen island without so much as a warning and fucked her on top it.

They made sure to disinfect the island the next morning.

Every day since then had been a complete blur. The heat between them hadn't cooled off in the slightest, even after they had emerged from the house and started getting back into a daily routine of normalcy. Hands and lips were permanently glued to one another whenever it was just the two of them, and when they weren't alone, most of the time the only thing on their minds was ditching whatever company they were in the presence of so that they could be alone together – something that hadn't gone unnoticed by their group of friends, who had no qualms whatsoever teasing them about it. They filled their days spending time with Naley, the kids, and their friends. Lucas began accompanying Skills to basketball practice since he had taken over as head coach of the Ravens when Lucas had moved to New York, and Peyton had even started going back to work at the label with Haley patiently reteaching the blonde everything she needed to know about her job. Sometimes she still couldn't believe that she owned and ran her a record label. A fact that continued to boggle her mind most of the time.

And so this was how Peyton had been tackling the New Year so far. By having copious amounts of amazingly good sex with Lucas (and it was an absolute mystery to her how they never seemed to run out of steam – but hey she wasn't exactly complaining here), and working alongside Haley at the label, especially with Mia, since they were in the middle of writing and recording songs for her new album.

Right at this moment one could argue that she was kind of doing both. Well sort of…in the sense that she was currently at work bent over her desk with Lucas towering over her from behind as he repeatedly moved in and out of her.

And just how exactly had this happened?

Peyton wasn't quite sure herself. All she did know was that one minute she was leaning over her desk looking over some important documents, and then the next minute Lucas was pressed up against her, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

The grip her hands had over the edge of the desk tightened during one particular hard thrust from him. It elicited a rather loud pleasurable cry from Peyton's lips and she groaned for Lucas to do it again.

Good thing no one was around to hear or see any of this.

It wasn't exactly professional to be having sex at your place of work, but oh well. Shit happens.

It was long past business hours at the label. The rest of the staff had gone home hours ago and Peyton had stayed late to tackle the never-ending pile of mail that had accumulated during her absence these last couple of months. Also, Tric wasn't open on Tuesday nights, so thankfully they were the only two in the building. She hadn't driven to work this morning. Lucas had dropped her off on his way to meet up with Skills to run morning drills with the team. When he showed up to take Peyton home he had found his wife hunched over her desk with her back facing him, so deeply immersed in whatever she was looking at that she hadn't heard him come in. She had gone to work today wearing this fitted long sleeved navy blue blouse with a suede brown skirt and knee high boots. Since she was leaning over the desk, it had caused her skirt to ride up, exposing the back of her creamy thighs. Her legs were one particular weakness of his that had always been impossible to resist, and to be frank he didn't even try to suppress the welcoming cloud of temptation that engulfed his body. He had instantly charged in her direction, his body flushed against Peyton's back causing her to squeal in surprise when she realized he was there, and then he quite forcibly pushed her back forward, pressing the upper half of her body down until the apple of her cheek made contact with the cold metal desk below her. It wasn't until he had hiked her skirt up around her waist, yanked her underwear to the side, and had pushed himself inside of her that he finally greeted Peyton with his lips at her ear whispering ' _Hi sexy.'_

Lucas leaned down pressing his chest against her back, while he continued to pump his dick inside her warmth. "You love it when I fuck you like this don't you?" He husked in her ear.

And cue in the dirty talk. "Oh god." Peyton moaned softly and nodded eagerly, agreeing with Lucas' words.

Lucas' dirty talk had been quite an unexpected surprise for her partly because he turned out to be insanely good at it – something she would have never expected by just looking at the man. Lucas was calm, eloquent spoken, kind of dorky, and even broody at times, yet every time he fucked her it was like a switched flipped inside of him and he'd begin reciting in her ear some of the filthiest things she had ever heard in her entire life. Some things that would make even the most experienced of porn stars blush, and certainly things that should never be uttered in front of children or most adults actually. And what was even more surprising to Peyton was that she liked it. She liked every single bit of it. His dirty talk alone was more than enough to make her wetness seep down to her thighs all before he even laid a finger on her body.

And that's when he just fucked her.

She would be just as turned on when he made love to her and whispered sweet things to her too. That first morning waking up in each other's arms after finally taking the plunge the night before in particular stuck out in her mind. He'd kept his promise of the night before, leaving an endless trail of kisses over every inch of her skin, taking it slow and worshiping her body like he promised he would. He had ran his tongue soothingly along the bruises on her hips that his hands had left behind from all the aggressive sex they shared the night before, and after that his face disappeared between her legs and he had her back arching off the mattress from the heavenly feel of his mouth on her. When he eventually slipped inside her, Peyton swore it felt even better than the night before. It was slow and gentle as their hips rolled against one another at an even pace. It wasn't a frenzied rush allowing them to take the time to really feel and enjoy every little shift, thrust and movement. When he wasn't busy devouring her lips with his, Lucas repeatedly whispered how beautiful she was and how amazing it felt to be with her once more. While last night had been insanely passionate, that morning the connection between them was much more intimate, more emotional, more complete. They both felt whole. It wasn't just sex. It went beyond the lustful haze that had taken total control of their bodies the night before.

"I wanna hear you say it." Lucas gruffed unsatisfied with Peyton's reply. He buried himself to the hilt and stilled. She quickly pushed her ass back against Lucas' hips to encourage him to keeping fucking her. "Say it." He repeated right before grinding his hips down hard making Peyton pant heavily over the desk the side of her face was still pressed up against. One of his hands slipped underneath her navy blue blouse, cupping her right breast over her bra and squeezing tight.

"I love it…" Peyton rushed out in a throaty moan as Lucas continued to grind against her, still buried deep inside her aching walls. "I love it when you fuck me like this." Over the past two weeks she had come to learn that this was by far Lucas' favorite sexual position. It had quickly grown to be one of hers as well. The penetration was much deeper this way, and he knew just how to reach places inside of her she didn't know existed and left her a crumbing mess in the aftermath.

Against her neck Peyton could feel his lips take the form of a smirk. "That's my girl." Lucas told her, giving into her pleas and resuming his thrusting.

Afterwards they had situated themselves on the small couch in her office. Lost in Lucas' embrace, Peyton released a happy sigh, her face nuzzling against the crook of his neck. She felt him place a lingering kiss over her temple.

"That was hot." Lucas spoke moments later.

She chuckled softly and picked her head off his shoulder. "Do we normally have sex at my job?" She teased.

Lucas grinned widely. "Actually that was a first for the both of us. Clearly we're idiots for having not tried that before."

She laughed again. "Well let's try not to make a habit out of it. I have a very respectable business lady reputation to uphold you know."

"I can't make any promises." He teased.

Peyton playfully shook her head at him before going to play with the silver medallion that hung off the chain over his neck. She repeatedly flipped it over her fingers. "Hey so question…"

"Shoot."

"How'd you get so good at the dirty talk?" She questioned with a slight blush.

Lucas' chest rose in laughter. "I had a college girlfriend who was really into it, forced me to step up my game." He explained.

"How long did you date?"

"Not very long."Lucas frowned in thought as he tried to remember. "Maybe four months? Probably shorter."

"Well if we ever run into her remind me to thank her profusely. I kind of really like it." She coyly admitted while playing with his necklace.

"Oh I'm well aware baby." He replied rather smugly before kissing her deeply, his tongue massaging hers.

"You know, even though it took us awhile to get to this place, I'm glad we waited Luke." Peyton spoke softly looking into his eyes. "It feels right you know? It wouldn't have meant as much as it does now if we hadn't waited."

Lucas nodded. "I feel exactly the same way."

She cupped the side of his face. "Thank you for being so patient, so understanding, and so forgiving with me even during the times I didn't deserve it. Thank you for being so good to me. I'm so lucky you're mine. I will never take you for granted again. I promise."

"What have I told you before?" He spoke with a smile. "You're my girl. I'll always be good to you."

Peyton felt her heart skip a beat. She placed a sweet kiss over that adorable upturned nose of his that she loved so much. Her head fell back on Lucas' shoulder as she cuddled in closer to his frame. "Oh hey, I was able to snag an appointment with the gynecologist tomorrow." She said casually and went back to playing with his necklace.

"Oh thank god." He groaned in relief. He could hardly wait til Peyton got back on the pill. "You know, you just never realize how much you hate condoms until you go without using them for a few years." He joked. "But if that's the cross I have to bare so be it. I mean someone's gotta do it, right?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Oh yes poor you, being forced to wear them from all that sex you've been clocking in. Oh the humanity." The blonde mocked. "If you hate it that much we can easily just cut back on the sex, problem solved." She innocently offered.

"No thank you." Lucas quickly replied making them both laugh out.

"But it's good though right?" She spoke suddenly, lifting her head off his shoulder once more to look over at him.

Lucas looked confused.

"The sex." She clarified. "I mean it's...good for you right? You're enjoying it too right?"

His eyes narrowed down at Peyton like she was crazy. "Does it not sound or look like I'm enjoying myself when we're having sex?" He spoke in a rather perplexed toned. He thought that much was clear.

Her face turned beet red. "No…well I mean…yea it definitely does..." She stuttered.

Peyton took in a deep breath.

"I just mean that…you obviously know my body really well…you know what I like…what gets me going…"

He really did. Lucas touched her in places she didn't even know she liked to be touched. It was amazing really how well he knew what spots of skin had her at his mercy. Sex with Lucas helped her discover this whole new side of her that she hadn't known was there. The only other two men she had slept with in her life were absolute amateurs when compared to Lucas. They never made her entire body sing the way he did.

"But me, I'm still getting familiar with yours…"

"Sweetheart." Lucas tried to interject.

"So I mean if there's something you like that we used to do before, or that I don't do enough, or don't do at all…I mean you can tell me. I wouldn't get offended or anything…I want it to be as good as it was before."

Lucas trapped her chin between his thumb and index finger tilting it up. "Your mind might not remember, but trust me when I say your body definitely remembers my own." He sent her a very serious look. "You're doing everything just the way I like."

"But—"

"Trust me. You get me going in all the right places. Your body knows exactly what I like. The sex is good. Hell it's better than good." He delivered a gentle kiss. "Everything about our first night together was perfect because you're perfect, and we're perfect, and every single other time since then has been perfect. Okay?"

Peyton bit her bottom lip and smiled. "Well saying that just earned you another one." She grinned pressing their lips together as her hands slowly descended past his stomach.

* * *

 ** _Somewhere outside of Tree Hill, North Carolina_** **_– November 2009_**

 _Lucas' job as the new assistant coach for the Ravens had been going well, very well in fact. He had settled in nicely and Whitey himself had said the boy was a natural. Despite only working side by side for a couple of months, the old man felt highly confident with leaving the team in Lucas' hands when he finally did retire. The Ravens' season had started off with a bang and so far they were undefeated and hoped to continue that momentum for the rest of the season._

 _In celebration of all of Lucas' hard work with the team, the couple had decided to take a weekend getaway. They were driving to Charlotte to take in some city sights and take a brief break from their small town life. Nathan was in Tree Hill for the weekend to see Haley and Jamie, so he offered his apartment to them while he was away._

 _"How much longer?" Peyton questioned as she connected her iPod to the car radio._

 _"Sweetheart we literally just got on the road." Lucas chuckled. They had only just passed the Tree Hill 'come back and visit us again' sign on their way out of town._

 _"Drive faster then." She mumbled, her eyes glued to the screen of her iPod as she scrolled through her list of playlists._

 _"Not with that attitude." He mumbled back._

 _She cracked a smile. "I love you you dork, you know that?"_

 _"I love you too, more than anything."_

 _She smiled again. After settling on a playlist for them, she reached out for the hand that was off the steering wheel and linked their fingers. "This is nice."_

 _"It is."_

 _"I miss the summer. Remember how we drove out of town and explored all the time? I miss those trips."_

 _Lucas nodded. "I miss it too."_

 _After that Peyton settled back into her seat and let the music take over the mood as Lucas drove them down the highway. An hour into the drive she jolted up out of her seat, not realizing that she had dozed off in the first place._

 _"Welcome back." Lucas teased from the driver's seat. There was a bit of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth._

 _Peyton wiped her mouth clean and silently stared her boyfriend up and down for some time. "Can you pull over?" She said abruptly, appearing a bit twitchy._

 _"Why?"_

 _"Just pull over now." She urged impatiently._

 _"There's nowhere to pull over Peyt. I think the next rest stop isn't for another mile. I'll stop then." He suggested, figuring she probably just needed to use the restroom._

 _"No, just pull over right here." She pointed over to a rather secluded spot on the side of the road._

 _"What? No." He argued._

 _"Lucas Scott do as you're told." Peyton spoke firmly while sending him a serious look._

 _"Fine." He mumbled slowing down the car and turning right towards the spot his girlfriend had indicated. "What's going on?" He wondered facing her._

 _Peyton quickly unbuckled her seat. In a matter of seconds she had squeezed herself in-between Lucas and the steering wheel, grabbing his face and attacking his mouth._

 _Lucas laughed as Peyton continued to bite over his lips. "What has gotten into you?" He asked through a chuckle. He grabbed her wrists when her hands began unzipping his jeans._

 _"I thought it was obvious. I'm horny." She grumbled at his locked hands over hers preventing her from moving them at all._

 _"Just out of nowhere?" He teased._

 _"Well I can't help it if you look really sexy while driving my car." She grinned. "Plus I just had a really hot sex dream of us while I was passed out." She confessed._

 _"So you did huh?" Lucas spoke looking quite smug about it too._

 _"Yea so if you would just let go of my hands we can get back to the having sex part…"_

 _"We can't have sex in the middle of the highway babe." He informed Peyton bursting her bubble._

 _One of her eyebrows arched up. "You're really turning down sex right now?" She pouted. "Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" The blonde accused._

 _"No, I'm just suggesting we hold off until we get a room."_

 _"Charlotte's still another two and a half hours away!" She complained sounding absolutely appalled at his suggestion. "I don't think you're getting the part about your girlfriend who's really horny over here."_

 _Lucas just smirked at his girl. "And you clearly weren't listening. Now I never said we had to wait until we got to Charlotte…all I said was wait until we got a room…any room, anywhere will do." He hinted._

 _Peyton's eyes widened in recognition. She quickly slipped off his lap. "Drive. Fast." She instructed._

 _Lucas laughed but did as he was told, and they stopped and checked into the first motel that came into view._

 _They never did make it to Charlotte._

 _They spent the whole weekend willingly trapped in that little crappy motel room completely wrapped up in each other, only ever leaving the room for meals. It wasn't exactly the weekend they had planned, but it turned out to be even better. Just the two of them, alone, with no outside interruptions. It was perfection._

 _It was now Sunday night and they were watching television together before bedtime. They were heading back to Tree Hill first thing in the morning since it was only an hour away from where they ended up staying._

 _Peyton was curled into Lucas' side, her leg hiked up and thrown over his, while her head rested over his bare chest._

 _"Hey love?" Lucas softly called out as one of his hands gently stroked her hair._

 _"Mmmh?" Peyton lazily lifted her head to look up at him. "What?"_

 _Lucas' mouth flapped opened, but no words came out. He seemed to pause in thought and settled on just staring at her instead._

 _"Why are you looking at me like that?" She giggled at the intense gaze he sent in her direction. It was very rare for Lucas to be completely lost for words. "Lucas you're being so weird." She added when he still hadn't uttered a word._

 _Lucas blew out a breath. He was nervous, not really knowing if Peyton would actually go for this. It wasn't something they had ever discussed before. "Move in with me." He said softly, finally breaking his silence._

 _He watched those green eyes of hers widen. She sat up a bit pulling away, causing him to frown. Not exactly the reaction he had been hoping for._

 _Peyton shook her head quickly as she spoke. "Lucas you can't just say things like that." She was expecting him to crack a smile and laugh any minute now. "It's not funny." She pouted. It was a joke. It just had to be a joke._

 _"Who's joking here?" He shifted his body and sat up as well. His hands traveled over towards her delicate ones, taking a hold of them. "I'm being serious here Peyton. I want you to move in. I want us to live together."_

 _Her green eyes remained wide with fear, but this time her entire face grew beet red and a chuckle escaped past Lucas' lips before he could catch it._

 _She groaned instantly, ripping her hands from his and covering her face to hide her embarrassment. "It's not funny." She muffled underneath her hands, scolding him._

 _That did nothing to stop his amusement._

 _"Stop it." She groaned as he continued to laugh at her. "You're embarrassing me." The request to move in with him really had caught her completely off guard._

 _"And here I thought you'd be freaking out." Lucas mused in amusement._

 _"I am freaking out!"_

 _Lucas pulled her hands away from her face._

 _"It's not funny." She pouted. "You just can't ask me to move in with you Lucas. That stuff is kind of a big deal." She whispered quietly._

 _"I know it is, that's why I'm asking. Baby move in with me."_

 _"We can't just move in together." She stubbornly argued._

 _"Why the hell not? We sleep over at each other's place 95% of the time anyway." He retorted. "I love waking up to you Peyton. It's the best start to my day and it's the very best part of my day. What's so wrong with wanting to make that permanent?" He took her hands bringing them up to his lips and placing a chaste kiss over her fingers._

 _If it was possible her face grew even redder. "Stop it." She mumbled awkwardly, her eyes falling downwards in embarrassment. "You can't just casually ask me to move in with you Luke." She huffed._

 _"Well too bad because I just did." He sported a massive grin as he spoke._

 _She was shaking her head at him again. "Lucas we haven't even been together long enough. It's too soon. Moving in with someone is a huge commitment. It takes a lot of work to make it work." She was speaking from experience. Living with Jake hadn't been all rainbows and sunshine all the time and they had been together for a couple years before they had even considered moving in together. Her and Lucas had just only hit the five month mark in their relationship._

 _"You think I don't get that?"_

 _"No, I don't. I don't think you've really thought this through. At all."_

 _Lucas' jaw tightened. "Right, sure, because I'm just some naïve careless fool when it comes to our relationship." He snapped._

 _One of her hands went to rub his shoulder. "Hey I didn't mean it like that."_

 _He shrugged her hand off. "I know it's kind of sudden, but I thought you'd at least think about it. I didn't think you'd be so quick to reject me." He said childishly._

 _Peyton rolled her eyes. "Well maybe I don't need to think about it!" She raised her voice at him._

 _"Yeah don't worry I got that message loud and clear!" He mocked._

 _"Of course I wanna move in with you!"_

 _Lucas' face immediately fell. "Wait…huh?" He said looking absolutely baffled. "Did I just miss something during this conversation?"_

 _Peyton sheepishly shrugged. "Honey I love waking up next to you too." Though she had been absolutely floored by the sudden request, she still couldn't deny the fact that her heart had skipped a beat, skipped several beats in fact, the moment Lucas had asked her to move in._

 _He frowned hard. "I don't understand then, you just said…"_

 _"I know what I said. I'm just trying to be practical here. Aren't you scared? What if it ruins everything? I don't wanna lose what we have now. I just love you so goddamn much. Maybe we should wait a little longer."_

 _"I'm terrified." He admitted before cupping her face and pulling her close. "But moving in together just feels right to me? Doesn't it feel right to you?"_

 _Peyton slowly nodded. "It does feel right, but does that necessarily make it right? Is this the right move for us to make right now?"_

 _"How could what I be feeling possibly be wrong?" Lucas spoke softly. "And we won't really know anything until we try."_

 _"It's a big risk." She quickly pointed out._

 _"It's not as scary if we take this risk together. It's gonna work out Peyton. I'm just sure of it. I don't know what it is, but something's telling me that it's gonna be okay."_

 _"Luke…" Peyton looked up at him, her eyes glossy with tears on the verge of spilling._

 _"Move in with me baby." Lucas asked one more time. "Just say yes." He added desperately._

 _Peyton slowly nodded, a small smile taking over her lips. "Yes. I'll move in with you Lucas Scott." The blonde's back was flat against the mattress before she could take her next breath. She giggled as Lucas towered over her. He kissed her long and hard. "Brooke's gonna kill me!" She blurted out as her mouth widened. "I basically just moved in with her." She laughed._

 _"You guys had a good run, she'll get over it." Lucas mumbled over her lips and delivered another steaming kiss._

 _"Oh you don't know Brooke Davis." She teased._

 _They both laughed._

 _"Are we really doing this? Moving in together?"_

 _Lucas grinned. "Looks like it."_

 _"Oh god my dad's gonna freak." Her eyes widened in fear._

 _"Your dad freaking loves me."_

 _"Eh he thinks you're alright." Peyton teased again._

 _"Yea I probably shouldn't have been holding up that rake at him when we first met. Didn't do myself any favors there." Lucas replied remembering the first time he had met Larry Sawyer early on in the summer. Peyton had still been living in her old house and her father had come back home for two weeks in between his next job. Lucas had dropped by for a visit unannounced having no idea that the man was back in town. To make a long story short, Lucas had mistaken Larry's presence for an intruder and after grabbing the nearest weapon, in this case a rake, Lucas had charged into the kitchen to only find Larry and Peyton sitting in the kitchen having lunch together. Peyton had never laughed so hard in her entire life. In fact she was still laughing for days after the incident._

 _Peyton laughed loudly. "I don't know…I'm quite fond of the 'rake boy' nickname myself."_

 _"He does like me though, right?"_

 _"Of course he does." She answered quickly. "He thinks you're great."_

 _"Better than your last boyfriend?" Lucas wondered._

 _Peyton playfully shook her head at him. "Well none of my other boyfriends ever threatened bodily harm against my dad with a rake, so they've got that going for them."_

 _"Shut up." Lucas mumbled tickling her side. "Anyway, how soon can you move in?"_

 _Peyton shrugged. "I'll gotta talk to Brooke first. I'm sure she'll want to kick your ass first."_

 _Lucas chuckled. "But soon though right?" He said with hopeful eyes._

 _She nodded. "I promise."_

 _"I love you Peyton."_

 _The blonde smiled, a hand lifting up to gently stroke his left cheek. "I've never loved anyone the way I love you Lucas."_

 _"Good. Then you know exactly just how much you mean to me."_

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – January 2015**

"Well it seems like being back home is treating you really well Peyton."

It hadn't gone unnoticed by her therapist that Peyton's smile was practically brighter than the sun all throughout their entire session.

Peyton huffed out a short chuckle. "I mean I was excited to come back home, but I didn't think I would love being back this much, but I do. And things between Lucas and I are…well they're really good." She admitted donning a coy smile.

Since she was staying in Tree Hill a little longer, her therapist had suggested they do their sessions over Skype for the time being instead of holding off completely.

"That's wonderful. Okay, so let's talk about Lucas now then. Did you do your little homework assignment?"

Peyton laughed and nodded into the screen of her computer. "Yea, um I got a few ideas from Lucas' sister-in-law and she helped a great deal. I made dinner for him on Christmas Eve. Lucas loves Christmas, it's his favorite holiday."

"And did you find that spending time together alone helped?"

"Absolutely. You were right, it really did strengthen our relationship. After that night everything just kind of clicked between us and we progressed from there. He's let me in again and now things are just kind of perfect. It's this I can barely stand not being around him kind of so great stage that we're kind of in right now. I'm getting to know him a lot better now, his likes and dislikes, and we talk about music, and his writing, and all sorts of random topics. You know that feeling when you start dating someone new and in the beginning all you want to do is learn every little thing you can about them? Well it feels exactly like that. It's fun, and it's new, and it's exciting. Being with him just feels so good all the time."

"You're talking about the honeymoon stage then?"

The blonde nodded. "Exactly, though sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I mean it can't stay perfect like this all the time right?"

"Why do you say that?"

Peyton shrugged. She briefly paused blowing out a heavy breath. "It's just that I'm so happy right now. The happiest I've been since I woke up from my coma. And Lucas says he's happy too, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if what we have now will be enough. I mean I know he loves me but…"

"Go on, I'm listening."

She sighed. "It's just that the old Peyton…she…me…that person, that version of me is always gonna haunt me. I feel like I'm up against a brick wall sometimes. What if me before the accident was a better wife, a better friend, a better person, a better business woman? And what's really to stop Lucas from comparing this life with me against our past life together? What if he starts missing it again? I can't compete with that, I don't stand a chance."

"Have you tried bringing this up with him?"

"I mean he says he's happy and that I'll be more than enough, no matter what, and yes I believe him, I really do, but…you know that saying you're your own worst critic?"

The therapist gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Lucas makes me feel normal. I don't feel like a basket case or the freak that forgot about her husband, because let's face it, as much as I hate labels, that's who I am now. I'm the weirdo who can't remember her husband and that's never gonna go away. And it sucks and I just can't help thinking or feeling this way, but the truth is I've always been hard on myself, even as a kid after losing my mom. Her death changed me, I was a lot more optimistic before she got killed. And I know Lucas doesn't try to force down memories on me – he never has – but regardless, the pressure to remember is still there. It's mostly just me being hard on myself, but I can't help it. I just think of how easy things would be if I could just remember again, and I especially think about how happy it would make Lucas if I got those memories back. I just want to make him happy."

"And you don't believe you make him happy now?"

Peyton paused. "No…I didn't mean it like that. We're both happy and in this blissed-out stage right now. I just worry that it could be fleeting that's all." She said sadly. "I just care about him so much. I wanna be enough."

"That's understandable, but Lucas has already told you that you are enough for him and I believe you should take him at his word. If you truly want to make him happy and you truly what this relationship to remain in a good place, then you need to stop this overwhelming need of yours to pit your current self against your past. You're still the same person, you may have lost a few memories, but the parts that make you YOU, - the parts that matter – they're still there. You don't have to fight against your former self. It's not a competition and there's no winner takes all scenario here. You're still Peyton, the woman your husband, family and friends love and care for. And I don't expect you to be able to let go of these doubts overnight, and maybe not even completely and that's okay. It's why I'm here. I'm gonna help you get there."

Peyton pressed her lips together and nodded. She knew her therapist was right, there was no point in arguing. She needed to let go of these insecurities, but it was easier said than done. Peyton remembered being much more confident during her relationship with Jake, but that wasn't always the case when it came to Lucas. She was unsure at times, second-guessing things, and her self-esteem wasn't all that great, and to be honest she could be downright needy sometimes too – something that she had never been before, not with any man. She'd come to depend on Lucas to take care of her. She knew it wasn't healthy, Lucas had told her as much back in New York, but she was doing better. Going back to work had been the first step. It had been helping. She was concentrating on something that was solely hers and had nothing to do with Lucas, and even though she still had no idea what the hell she was doing most days at the label, at the end of the day it still felt good to feel useful again. She was proud of it and Lucas was proud of her too.

"Okay so I wanna hit pause on Lucas for now and in the time we have left I want to talk more about your parents."

Peyton swallowed hard.

"You mentioned earlier that your mother's death changed you and I'd like you to talk more about that, but also you haven't really mentioned your father and his sudden passing at all, during any of our sessions, and I understand that you were very close."

She gave a firm nod. "We were."

"Okay then tell me about your father. It doesn't have to be anything related to his passing if you're not ready to discuss that yet. Just tell me anything, a pleasant memory from your childhood."

Peyton swallowed down another large lump stuck in her throat. The minutes ticked down as she looked down at her hands in her lap. She hadn't talked about her father much, not with Lucas, not even with Brooke. It hurt too much.

"Pizza." She eventually answered after a very long pause of utter silence.

"Pizza?"

Peyton looked back up at the screen. "Pizza." She repeated with a smile. "He didn't really know how to cook and when my mom died he'd buy these frozen cheese pizzas and put his own toppings on them. And sometimes he'd put like really weird things like pickles or whatever." She released a teary laugh. "It always made me laugh and the pizzas didn't turn out that bad either…"

"Tell me more."

"Okay."

* * *

Would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter guys and as always thanks a ton for stopping by!

Until next time!


	35. Underneath The Big Green Tree

Reviews

 **Xx-Peyton-LucasLove-xX** – Thank you so much! Welcome to the OTH community here, you're gonna love it!

 **Annie** – So wonderful to see a review from you pop up! I always love reading what you have to say. You'll have to shoot me a PM someday, so that we can properly chat! Lol

 **Tpassions** – I'm so happy that 35 chapters in and I can still surprise you with this story. Thanks so much! I haven't forgotten about Jake, I promise, lol!

 **S. Jamedra** – As always thanks so much for your super kind words. It's always such a motivator to keep writing this Leyton journey for you guys.

 **secondstarontheright** – Krystal! I know we've already talked about this, but I still can't believe how quickly you've managed to catch up with this story! You are a rockstar and as always I adore the support and our exchanges. It's been awesome getting to know you on this site.

 **thibbs65** – Thank so much, glad you love where Leyton is at right now, so am I!

 **jordana60** – I'm a happy girl over here since you're enjoying all the hotness, passion, humor, struggle, and not to mention sexiness going on between our favorite couple lately. It's def been fun for me to write!

 **simplyaprillyn** – I'm a broken record at this point, but I really do LOVE writing the flashbacks in this story. It's so much fun for me getting to create this Leyton world that's different from their present day relationship. Thanks for the endless support girl, you are the best and I love you for it!

 **Mufc87** – Thank you so much!

 **BroodyBlonds4Life** – Thank you!

 **Talz** – Yea I totally understand what you're saying. Peyton's still a little broken, but she's starting to gain her confidence back. I think the fact that she's been through this whole ordeal just demonstrates how strong she already really is despite the vulnerability that Lucas brings out in her.

 **Guest** – Yes there is a flashback to when Leyton first meet/spoke! That can be found in Chapter 5 in case you missed it or can't remember. If you're looking for a little extra there's also a short flashback in Chapter 9 that takes place a few days after Leyton's first date, that one is just total cute fluff. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter 35: Underneath The Big Green Tree

After that last session with her therapist a few days ago Peyton had been thinking a lot about her parents, her father in particular. It wasn't like she was in denial or anything. He was gone and she had accepted that. The loss of him hurt, but the part that hurt the most was not being able to remember that loss at all. That's usually where the confusion set in and her chest would tighten so badly that sometimes she felt like she couldn't even breathe. She felt so damn guilty. She should remember, but she couldn't.

She had ditched work today.

The blonde had woken this morning with every intention of heading to work, but had a change of heart as she drove past the cemetery on her way to Red Bedroom Records. She hadn't been back at all to the cemetery since that first visit during the holidays. So instead of continuing her drive towards Tric, Peyton had done a quick u-turn, parking at the cemetery and calling Haley to inform her that she wouldn't be coming in after all. She had found an old sketch pad and a few colored pencils scattered about in the backseat of her Comet, which she quickly collected and carried with her into the cemetery where both her parents had been laid to rest.

She sat down on the grass with her legs crossed over and talked to them both. She had been doing this since she was a kid, coming to her mother's grave and chatting away, so it wasn't that hard to jump right back in to that routine. Even though it was a one-sided conversation, Peyton still found it soothing and comforting despite not being a little girl anymore. After spending a good amount of time sharing her feelings with Anna and Larry, she opened up the sketch pad in her hands and spent the rest of the morning drawing silently. She had maybe drawn only a couple of times since her accident, barely being able to scrounge up the motivation to do so, but today the urge had presented itself and Peyton actually found herself missing it. Music and art had truly been her first love and neglecting them these past couple of months had been a mistake. It was like a piece of her had gone missing and honestly she should have realized it ages ago. But thankfully Peyton was slowly putting the pieces of her life back together. Things were better now. She rarely had bad days anymore or felt overwhelmingly lost or sad like she had in the beginning.

It wasn't until the phone wedged in her back pocket buzzed to life that Peyton realized how long she had been sitting there. It was nearly noon as she looked at her phone and answered Brooke's call with a small smile. Brooke and Julian had headed back to New York shortly after New Years, so the two best friends hadn't seen each other in over two weeks.

"Hey there."

"Oh well lookie here, she answers my calls now." Brooke announced dramatically over the line.

"Sorry." Peyton sheepishly replied. It was true, she had been kind of MIA as of recent. Lucas and her had been so consumed with each other as of late, that everyone else kind of took a backseat. "I guess I totally deserve that."

Brooke chuckled. "Oh you most certainly do, but it's cool P. Sawyer. I'll let it slide this time considering you and Lucas are back to being nauseatingly all over each other like two horny teenagers, which I totally approve of by the way. I wanna see my girl happy, but I do miss you though."

Peyton could feel her cheeks flush. "We've been…"

"Too busy screwing each other?" The brunette quickly offered up.

"You know despite popular opinion Lucas and I do spend our time together doing other things." Peyton defended.

"Somehow I highly doubt that." Brooke quipped.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Is there a real reason why you called or was giving me a hard time the only thing on the agenda today?"

"I'm just calling to check in. Work's a little slow today. What are you doing now?"

"I'm in the cemetery sketching."

"You're hanging out in cemeteries now?" Brooke teased. "We really do need to get you some more friends, preferably of the living variety."

Peyton scoffed. "I'm visiting my parents you dork."

"I know. I figured as much, I'm just teasing. But you're really drawing though? That's so great Peyton!" Brooke exclaimed. According to Lucas, she was well aware that the blonde had barely picked up a pencil to draw since leaving the hospital.

"Yea…I just kind of got the urge…forgot how relaxing it can be." Peyton replied as she looked down at her sketch. "I've spent most of the morning drawing that big green tree that's sitting right above my parent's graves."

"Well I think that it's really great that you're getting back into art and music again. I just can't imagine my Peyton without the two. Doesn't it feel great to be doing that kind of stuff again?"

"Yea I mean…I'm still adjusting to my job and all, but it's been pretty amazing so far, and Haley…she's just been so great. I'm just thankful she's around. I'd be lost without her."

"Haley's the best."

"She really is." Peyton quickly agreed. "She's been a good friend through all of this. And you too Brooke."

"Did you really expect anything less? We're all family here and we love you. We've got each other's back P."

"Yea…I guess you're right." Peyton replied with a small smile. "So anyway how are things going back in New York?"

"Pretty good. Just getting everything straightened out and ready for the big move back home. We should be back in Tree Hill in a couple of weeks. Victoria of course is having a field day that I'm leaving New York again."

Peyton chuckled. "Yea well your mother is most certainly a very special kind of special."

Brooke snorted. "Ain't that the truth, though I'm sure she'll still manage to find ways of torturing me all the way from New York. She's gifted like that."

Peyton laughed once more.

"I miss you P."

"I miss you too Brooke and I'm sorry I've been such a shitty friend lately. I should call more to check up on you…things are just so…"

"Good?" The brunette hurriedly interrupted.

Peyton blew out a chuckle. "Really good. Incredible."

"You're falling for him aren't you?" Brooke questioned knowingly, catching the tone of excitement off Peyton's voice.

A small smile presented itself over Peyton's lips. "Yes. I am. Hard. For awhile now really, I was just too stubborn to admit it out loud. I've got butterflies and everything. I love being with him Brooke."

"Do you love him?"

Peyton sighed before pausing as images of Lucas popped into her brain. "I'm kind of still sorting all that out to be honest. It's complicated, but what I do know is that I've got these really intense feelings for Lucas that just completely overwhelm me, but in a good way if that makes any sense. It's just kind of weird for me to have such strong feelings for someone in such a short amount of time. It's scary. I just want to be sure that everything I'm feeling is right and real. I don't want to love Lucas because I woke up married to him and it's just expected by everyone. I want to love him because it's what I really want and it's what I really feel."

"You take your time. Do what feels right okay? That boy isn't going anywhere."

Peyton blew out a breath. "That's the plan."

"So I'm assuming all that nonsense you were spewing about changing your last name to Scott is over?"

Peyton groaned feeling embarrassed. She had been so desperate to get back in Lucas' good graces that she really had kind of lost her mind back there. Changing her last name would have accomplished absolutely nothing in resolving their issues. "Yeah, yeah, you were right. It was a terrible idea. Maybe someday, but you were right… it's not the right time. We're so not there yet. So thanks for talking me off the ledge B Davis, I owe you."

Brooke laughed. "You're very welcome." She teased. "Hey do you guys think you'll be back in New York before I move?"

"I dunno. We really haven't set a firm date, except it being some time after Dan's hearing this month." Peyton replied a bit glumly.

"Oh no what's wrong?"

"I…well…to be completely honest, I don't…I don't wanna go back to New York." The blonde slowly admitted. "I like it here, I like being home. Don't get me wrong New York seems like a lot of fun and all…but I feel more at home in Lucas' house than I ever felt back at that apartment."

"And let me guess you haven't mentioned this little confession to Broody yet have you?"

"No." Peyton meekly answered.

"Well why not?"

"Well for starters what if he wants to go back to New York? I don't want to take that away from him and plus our relationship shouldn't simply revolve around me and what I want. That's not fair." Peyton explained her reasoning.

"Sweetie you guys were always planning on moving back." Brooke reminded her. "New York was just supposed to be temporary. It was never meant to be a permanent solution."

"Right..." Peyton blew out a breath. They had moved to New York in the first place because being in Tree Hill had just been too much for Peyton after her father had passed. According to Brooke, she had fallen into a deep state of depression that had taken her months to dig herself out of.

"Haven't you and Lucas talked about your dad and the move to New York at all?" Brooke questioned slightly concerned.

"No, not really. I haven't been ready."

"Well it sounds like you're ready now." Brooke pointed out.

Peyton nodded to herself before sighing. "I'm thinking that maybe you're right."

"And honestly I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just tell Lucas you wanna stay home because honestly if you haven't noticed it by now P Sawyer, I'll let you in on the worst kept little secret…you've always had that boy wrapped around your little finger. He'd do ANYTHING for you, trust me."

"Oh I don't know about that…" The blonde began to argue.

"Please, stop it you bitch, you know it's true."

Peyton chuckled.

"Plus selfishly I want you back home with me anyway, especially since you're planning the baby shower and everything, just makes more sense to have you back home. So you tell Luke he has no choice in the matter because Brooke Penelope Baker, formerly Davis, has spoken."

Peyton groaned again now remembering her agreement to throw Brooke and Julian a baby shower. Well not so much as agreeing to do so, but more like her best friend hadn't provided much of a choice in the matter. To be honest she was kind of nervous about it. She had no idea how to even begin planning one of these things. Truthfully, Peyton was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Brooke was having a baby or more accurately babies. She remembered Brooke as this vivacious nineteen year old that refused to settle down because she was in the prime of her life, but instead she found herself with a friend who was now a twenty-seven year old pregnant woman who had considerably calmed down in her old ways. In many aspects Brooke was still the same old Brooke, but she was so different now too. Brooke had grown up so much that sometimes Peyton hardly recognized that this woman was the same girl from her childhood. Peyton was super proud of Brooke for the amazing woman she had become, even if sometimes she did feel disconnected from the brunette. They weren't kids anymore, but full blown adults, and Peyton was still busy trying to figure out the adult part. Most days she still felt nineteen years young. Everyone else felt so much older than her as ridiculous as that sounded.

"Don't worry Tutor wife said she'd help!" Brooke reassured her.

"Oh thank god." Peyton blew out before laughing. Haley to the rescue yet again.

"Anyways I've gotta go, stupid Julian is waiting for me." Brooke mumbled in annoyance.

Peyton raised an eyebrow. "Stupid?"

Brooke groaned in exasperation. "He's really making me watch Star Wars!" She whined, her voice going high. She had lost the gender bet last month – they were having boys – and Julian had finally decided to cash in on his winnings. They were watching the first film this evening after dinner. "I'm doomed!" Brooke spoke rather dramatically.

Peyton shook her head dismissively even if Brooke couldn't see it. "Something tells me you'll live to see another day." The blonde dryly replied.

* * *

"Hey handsome." Peyton happily greeted Lucas over the phone. After getting off the phone with Brooke, she had collected her things and head back to the car. Lucas had called just as she was slipping into the driver's seat of her Comet.

"Hey beautiful. Miss me?"

"Kind of…" She spoke tauntingly.

"Where are you? I just stopped by the label to see if you wanted to grab lunch and Haley said you weren't coming in today. Is everything alright?" He asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine, I promise. Just kind of needed the morning to myself. I wanted to see my mom and dad that's all. But I'm just about to head back home now, can you meet me there? I really need to talk to you."

"Sure, I'm on my way back now then." Lucas quickly replied. "Baby are you sure you're okay? Should I be worried?"

"I'm okay, I swear. I just think I'm kind of ready to talk about some of those lost years you know? I wanna know more about everything that happened with my dad. I just need to know. I can't stop thinking about him Lucas."

"Of course, I'll tell you anything you want to know. I'll see you soon okay?"

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – September 2012**_

 _Lucas walked into the bedroom sighing heavily after seeing that she hadn't moved an inch from her spot – not that he was really surprised at the sight in front of him anyway. He did a quick glance at the clock by the bed. They were running short on time._

" _Peyton." He called out softly as he made his way over to her side of the bed. "You have to get up sweetheart. We don't want to be late." Lucas kneeled down at Peyton's bedside and gently shook the frail figure that was completely hidden from sight underneath the covers. "Baby, please." He begged while Peyton continued to ignore him._

" _You have to get up Peyton." Lucas spoke more firmly as he lifted the covers away from her head._

 _Peyton immediately flipped on her side away from Lucas' prying eyes. "I'm not going." She croaked harshly. "Just leave me alone. I just wanna be left alone." She blindly reached for the covers and threw them over her head once more._

" _You know I can't do that Peyton."_

" _I'm not going Lucas!" The blonde cried out._

 _Lucas sighed exasperatedly. He hated to see his wife in this state. He really did, but this was getting ridiculous. "You can't just not go Peyton." He quietly told her ripping the covers off her body for the second time._

" _You can't make me go." The blonde huffed from her spot on the bed much like a small angry child would._

" _Peyton."_

 _Lucas stood up from his position on the floor and climbed into bed spooning her from behind, risking the probability of getting his black suit wrinkled. He felt Peyton's tiny body stiffen up against his as he wrapped an arm around her waist. She had lost so much weight in the past couple of months when it became apparent that the treatment had failed and Larry wasn't going to get any better. She had fallen into a habit of skipping meals and sleeping just so that she could be at her father's side every waking moment possible, and those habits only worsened as the cancer continued to take over Larry Sawyer's body. Peyton had always maintained a slim figure, but she had become a walking skeleton at this point, the majority of her wardrobe hanging loosely around her frame. For Lucas, it hurt so bad to even look at her sometimes. Her skinny figure sometimes bringing tears to his eyes because of how withered away Peyton looked. And in the week that her father had passed, Peyton had shed more weight, if that was even possible. She really wasn't eating at all and she hadn't showered in a week. The second they had returned from the hospital on the day that Larry had passed away, she had silently and quite mindlessly crawled into bed, wrapped herself in a cocoon of covers, and had refused to move since._

" _You can't save me from this Lucas." Peyton sadly choked out._

" _I'm not trying to." He replied, his voice sounding just as sad as hers._

 _Lucas knew that he couldn't protect her heart from this. All he was trying to do was get her through this day._

" _Then quit fighting me on this. Just stop it okay." She demanded pushing away the arm that was over her waist._

 _Lucas frowned at her actions._

 _When she made a move to completely roll away from him, Lucas clamped a hand down on her body and forced the blonde to turn over so that she was finally facing him._

" _Don't." Peyton began to protest as his blue eyes bore down on her. She had zero interest in hearing whatever speech Lucas had prepared to motivate her out the door today. Unless her father had magically sprung back to life in the last twenty-four hours, she wasn't going anywhere. She would not be leaving this house, let alone this bed._

" _No. You don't." Lucas shot back. He sat up on the bed and pulled Peyton up with him. He was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but it was clear that a gentle approach would fail in accomplishing anything. It appeared that the only way to handle his wife at the moment was with some tough love._

 _Peyton began to squirm from his grasp. "Stop it!" She scolded as she continued to fight him off. "Let go."_

" _Shut up Peyton. Get your ass up out of this bed right now." Lucas commanded. "You are not missing your father's funeral, not on my watch."_

 _He tried to pull Peyton out of bed as she pulled back in return._

" _Stop it! Stop this Lucas!" She cried out in a panic."You're my husband, you're supposed to support me!"_

" _I am supporting you." Lucas defended._

" _I can't. I can't." Her head shook violently as she spoke. "Why are you doing this?" She looked up at Lucas with tears in her eyes looking completely broken._

 _Lucas ceased his pulling and loosened his hold on Peyton. He scooted closer and cupped her face in his hands. "I know you're hurting right now baby. I know it feels absolutely awful." He knew exactly how it felt to lose a father. That's who Keith had been for him and it had hurt like hell._

" _I can't. I can't." Peyton repeated as her tears began to take over her face. "I just can't Lucas." Her green eyes looked at him completely dull and lifeless._

" _Sweetheart it's time to say goodbye. I can promise you that as badly as this hurts right now, it's gonna hurt even more if you don't show up to this funeral. You'll regret not getting the chance to say goodbye. You can do this. I know you can." Lucas encouraged._

" _I can't. I can't go." She protested. "Because if I go…then he really is gone."_

 _Lucas gave Peyton a sad smile, while his heart broke for her._

 _Peyton's bottom lip trembled uncontrollably. "Oh god, he really is gone isn't he?" The sob that she had been holding back this whole time lurched forward. She rapidly shook her head at Lucas yet again. "I can't do this Lucas. I just can't." She pleaded with him, her fragile hands gripping at his suit as she silently begged him not to make her do this._

" _Peyton." Lucas spoke gently. "Babe I hate to break this to you, but whether you come today or not, it doesn't change the fact that today is happening. Your dad is gone, and everyone that loves you and your father will be there today to support you. You can do this. You are not alone. You have to go Peyton. You don't really have a choice here."_

" _I'm not ready to say goodbye." The blonde spoke tearfully, her voice completely breaking._

" _No one really ever is when it comes to these things." He spoke truthfully. "We'll take it one step at a time okay? How bout we get you in the shower first huh? I've already picked out something for you to wear." He informed her, motioning over to the black dress that hung off the back of the door. Haley, being the rockstar that she was, had picked up a new dress since all of Peyton's other dresses didn't exactly fit right at the moment._

 _Peyton closed her eyes as more tears streamed down her face and silently nodded._

" _C'mon." Lucas gently encouraged Peyton as he helped her out of bed and led her to their bathroom. He turned the shower on for her, but when he turned back around Peyton was still in her clothes. She blankly stared at shower, looking absolutely hopeless, like she was afraid to move._

 _Lucas swallowed hard. Peyton was a mess and he had no idea how to help her. He had handled Keith's death in a much different manner when he was a teenager, mostly expressing himself through anger, sometimes violently. Peyton on the other hand had completely shut down. She had gone numb._

" _C'mere." He called out to her. Peyton silently obeyed stepping closer to Lucas and his hands quickly went to work undressing her. There was no time to wash her hair, so he tied her hair up as well. But even after that Peyton made no move to get in the shower. So, having no choice, Lucas began to undress himself too. He pulled off his suit jacket and pants, careful not to wrinkle them. He pulled off his black tie and unbuttoned his clean crisp white shirt and hung his clothes on a hook behind the bathroom door. He then quickly discarded his socks and underwear off his body before guiding Peyton into the shower with him._

 _Peyton said nothing as the shower spray hit her body. She remained motionless until Lucas eventually pulled her away from the water, grabbing the soap and bath sponge and then began to scrub her skin clean. After the soap suds had been rinsed from her body, they both stayed inside the shower a little longer. Lucas stood behind Peyton, his arms wrapped around her while his chin rested over her left shoulder. Peyton still hadn't said a peep since she had entered the bathroom with him._

" _Where did you go?" He whispered sadly pressing a chaste kiss over her shoulder blade. "I miss you. Come back to me." These days it was getting harder and harder to get through to her. Most days he couldn't reach Peyton at all. She had been shutting him out for the past few weeks as his father-in-law's last days on this earth had dangerously dwindled down._

 _After a long pause Peyton finally spoke up. "I don't think there's any coming back from this." She replied dejectedly. "I wish I were dead."_

" _Hey!" Lucas yelled out angrily as he felt his heart drop. He turned her over in his arms. "Don't say things like that!" He scolded._

 _Peyton shrugged. "Why not? It's true." She spoke apathetically. "My family is gone. He was it. He was all I had and now he's gone."_

" _What about me?" Lucas spoke doing his absolute best to mask the hurt in his voice. She wasn't saying these things to hurt him, he understood that. The poor thing in front of him looked completely broken and defeated. "You have me Peyton and I can't live my life without you."_

 _Peyton head dropped down in shame. "I'm sorry." She spoke quietly as her body slightly trembled against his. "I just feel so…lost. I don't think I can come back from this Lucas." How could someone possibly return back to normal after losing a parent not once, not twice, but three times now? Peyton seriously believed nothing would ever be right again. From now on she'd be stuck going through the motions, most likely for the rest of her life._

 _Lucas dropped a kiss over her damp forehead. "Don't worry, I'll bring you back." He promised her. "I'll find you and I'll bring you back. I'll always find you. I promise."_

 _Peyton said nothing because honestly what could Lucas possibly do to fix this? He couldn't save her from this. He couldn't save her from this overbearing pain of darkness that continued to spread inside of her._

 _She felt the grip he had on her tighten._

" _I love you."_

" _I love you too." Peyton replied with very little emotion. She did love Lucas very much and she meant it, of course she did. But that didn't change the fact that at this moment she felt absolutely dead inside._

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – January 2015**

The talk with Lucas that afternoon had been a long and hard one.

In February of 2012 Larry Sawyer had been diagnosed with lung cancer and that following September, only seven short months after his diagnosis, he was gone. Initially the treatments had shown signs of success, but unfortunately the cancer had struck back with a vengeance and proved to be too aggressive, and in the end the treatments failed. There was nothing to be done.

Lucas had told Peyton that she had faithfully been at her father's side from the very beginning until his very last breath. If she wasn't at the hospital with Larry, she'd be keeping him company at his house. She'd keep the house clean, get him all his favorite goodies and things, and took care of him when the chemo took its toll on his body. During the rare times that Peyton couldn't be present, Lucas was there – though he was usually there at Peyton and Larry's side anyway.

Though it wasn't perfectly clear at the time, Peyton had started exhibiting signs of depression during the final months of her father's life when it became abundantly clear that he didn't have much time left. She started to withdrawal from Lucas, Brooke and the rest of her friends. She rarely ate, slept, and had abandoned all together running things at the label and Haley had been the one to step up and take over. The only time the blonde seemed genuinely happy and normal was when she was in the presence of her father. When Larry did die Peyton fell even deeper into her depression and she refused to seek any professional help. There was no getting her out of the house and she stayed in bed most days, skipping showers for days at a time and never finding the energy to do anything productive no matter how hard Lucas and the others tried to bring Peyton out of her funk. For months she was hot and cold with her husband, sometimes letting him in when she was at her worst, and other times shutting him out completely and purposely picking fights with him just so that she could get him to leave her alone.

Peyton had instantly burst into tears when Lucas had told her that she had almost skipped out on the funeral, but thankfully he had managed to get her there that day. It was even worse having to hear him talk about the panic attack she'd had in the car on the way home to the reception after the funeral. The thought of having to face all those people who had attended the funeral inside the comfort of her own home, her safe haven, had suddenly become too much. She had snapped out of nowhere surprising everyone in the car as she tried to crawl and fight her way out of the moving vehicle they were in. Luckily Nathan and Haley had ridden with them on the way back, and it took both Nathan and Lucas to hold Peyton down, while Haley watched in horror. They decided right then on the spot that going home was no longer an option, taking Peyton back to Nathan and Haley's place instead. When they had arrived at Naley's, Peyton had wordlessly headed to one of the guestrooms, stripped down to her underwear and climbed into bed. They called Brooke to let her know what had happened, and she, Julian and Skills had stayed at the reception to cover in their absence.

What Lucas hadn't told Peyton was that he had stayed up that entire night sitting outside of that bedroom watching her closely. It was bad enough when he had to explain to her that she barely made it to the funeral on time. But the episode in the car had really shook him up especially after what Peyton had said to him in the shower earlier that day, that she wished she were dead. Terrified that Peyton would actually consider hurting herself, he felt like he had no choice but to confide in Nathan and Haley. Both his brother and best friend stayed up with him that whole night as well, while reassuring Lucas that Peyton would never intentionally hurt herself, and thankfully that turned out to be true. Besides the episode in the car, Peyton never did anything potentially harmful like that again.

It was months before signs of the old Peyton finally started to resurface, no doubt thanks to Lucas' unwavering support and persistence to bring his girl back. Even Brooke had a difficult time getting through to Peyton, but somehow Lucas had managed to do it. Bits and pieces of the girl she used to be came back, but nonetheless it was still really hard to carry on when there were endless memories of growing up with her father lingering around every corner of this town.

When Peyton had finally headed back to work she had decided to make Haley partner on her label. The only reason Red Bedroom Records was still standing was because of her amazingly talented beautiful friend, and friends like that are rare and hard to come by.

It was Lucas who had suggested that they get out of town for a bit. Though Peyton was doing well, he knew better than anyone that she still struggled. She still had her bad days. So he presented Peyton with the idea and she instantly fell in love with it. They decided on New York because it was a complete one-eighty from Tree Hill and they had always enjoyed going up there in the past. It also didn't hurt that Brooke and Julian lived up there as well. And so they packed the bare essentials and moved up there shortly after Lucas had suggested the idea. It had been the right call. New York had been great for Peyton. Going back to school had been great for her. Making new friends had been great for her. And having Lucas at her side the whole time made the whole experience even that much greater.

After Lucas had answered every last one of Peyton's questions, she had retreated to the bedroom, needing some time to herself, her mind filled with so much information that produced so many more conflicting emotions inside of her. As confused as she was, she felt better now that she knew the truth about how it had all gone down. She cried for some time on her own and when Lucas came in to check on her after a while, she ended up sobbing in his arms as well.

* * *

"You didn't give up on me." Peyton quietly whispered to Lucas through the darkness. It was past midnight now and they had long retired to bed for the night, but Peyton hadn't been able to fall asleep yet. "I can't believe how lost I got back then. You didn't give up on me then and you didn't give up on me now. How did I get so lucky?"

"I will always be here for you Peyton. I would never give up on you. I would never give up on us. The day you became mine was the day I decided that I would never let you go. I'm the lucky one. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you Peyton. I can't possibly live my life without you."

Peyton swallowed the lump in her throat. "Lucas…" She began cautiously.

"Whenever you're ready Peyton." He reassured her, already knowing where Peyton's hesitation was coming from. "I can wait. You loved me once and I know you'll be able to feel it again someday. So I'll wait…I'll wait for you."

"Lucas you know my feelings for you are real right? I'm insanely over the moon for you, you get that right? I just need…a little more time that's all."

"I know." Lucas replied. "And that's why I know it'll be all the more worth it when you finally do feel the same way."

Peyton reached out and linked their fingers. "Can I tell you something?" She had decided to finally take Brooke's advice.

"You can tell me anything."

She took in a deep breath and began. "I wanna move back home. I don't think New York is for me anymore. This is our real home and it's where I wanna be, and we were technically supposed to move back to Tree Hill this summer after I finished art school anyway, so can't we just do it now? I love being back home and most of all I love being back here with you. It just feels right." Peyton blew out a breath of nerves. "I hope you're not upset." She bit down on her bottom lip waiting for Lucas' reply.

Lucas chuckled. "Why would I be upset?" He teased.

"Well you like New York." She pointed out. "I mean we could stay up there if you really wanted to."

"New York is great, but Tree Hill is home." He replied. "It will always be home." Lucas also had to admit that Peyton was really thriving these days. She was in higher spirits and becoming less dependent on him. New York hadn't really been able to provide that atmosphere for Peyton like Tree Hill had managed to do these last few weeks. It was crystal clear that this is where they belonged right now. "I've got the best memories here and most importantly it gave me you."

Peyton's mouth broke out into a grin. "So you're really okay with this?"

"Baby, I'd do anything for you."

"So would I." She rolled on top of Lucas and kissed him hard. "Thank you." She kissed him again, longer this time.

Lucas' hands rested on her hips as the kiss deepened.

"You haven't touched me at all today." Peyton lightly panted over his lips.

"After everything today I didn't think you'd want me to. Today was kind of a heavy day for you." He reminded her. "We don't always have to ya know."

"I always want you to." She whispered over his lips while pressing her lower half down over his.

Lucas kissed her once more and rolled them over so that he was on top now. He quickly discarded the clothes off their backs, and wasted no time in joining their bodies and delivering on all the things Peyton craved from him in that moment.

* * *

First off, sorry about the mix up with posting the wrong chapter earlier tonight! Many thanks to all those who were kind enough to bring it to my attention. But now that the correct chapter is finally up, please let me know what you guys think!

Next up: The decision in Dan's parole hearing and Leyton says farewell to NYC roadtrip style.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far, I know I am!

Until next time.

Chapter Track: 'Underneath the Big Green Tree' by Stan Ridgway


	36. Hold On, We're Going Home

Reviews

 **Annie** – I'm so glad you're loving the Leyton progress! They're cute together huh? lol

 **DeTurge** – Thank you!

 **Tpassions** – Oh yea I'll still be updating during the summer when I can!

 **Destiana. Caldin** – Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I'm so glad and thankful to have you here enjoying my writing.

 **secondstarontheright** – As always you are the absolutely best!

 **thibbs65** – Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!

 **leyte** – Absolutely, that is SO Leyton. Lucas is always gonna save Peyton even when she thinks she doesn't need it.

 **Divine Lustre** – Thank you for your mega support on both of my stories! I could never thank any of you enough for taking the time to read and review my stories.

 **simplyaprillyn** – Trust me I had some tears in my own eyes during some of the parts as I was writing. It was a tough chapter to write and hopefully I did it justice.

 **Talz** – I love that line too.

 **Mufc87** – Thank you for reviewing. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

 **Happyvalley74** – Thank you! By any chance (because I'm curious) are you from Pennsylvania or went to Penn State? I only ask because of your username lol.

* * *

Chapter 36: Hold On, We're Going Home

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – January 2015**

Peyton sat on top of the bed, her back resting against the headboard as she typed on the keyboard of the laptop sitting over her lap. She was busy typing up a long overdue apology email to both M. Roe and Veró regarding her behavior that last night in LA when she had ditched them to confront Lucas. That whole LA trip seemed like ages ago, but really it had only been last month, nearing two now since February was right around the corner. She gave the email one last glance over before hitting send. Hopefully they weren't too upset with her. Peyton hadn't really kept in touch with the girls since returning back to the east coast. She had also opted not to include the whole memory loss thing in her email. It was really a conversation better suited face-to-face or at least over the phone. Delivering the news via email just seemed a bit too cheap for her taste.

When she was done, Peyton placed the computer on the nightstand. She slapped a hand over her tired face, while blowing out an equally tired breath. Today hadn't turned out to be so great and the blonde groaned as flashbacks of her crappy day invaded her mind. Just when Peyton thought she was beginning to get the hang of things, she had royally fucked up at work today. There had been some sort of mix up with the venue bookings for their artist Alex Dupré, a country singer that was currently on her first tour. And the mix up had been entirely Peyton's fault. She had carelessly missed some of the fine print in the final paperwork agreements, and in a nutshell dates and locations had been booked incorrectly, throwing the entire tour off schedule.

The good news was that Haley hadn't been at work today to witness this massive screw up of hers. The bad news was that Haley wasn't there to help her fix it because honestly she didn't know how to go about fixing it. In the end one of her interns had took to the phones and managed to resolve everything in a few short hours. A lowly intern was able to do her job better than she could and it was both terribly upsetting and embarrassing to say the least. With her tail tucked in-between her legs, Peyton had retreated into the bathroom where she had cried for a good ten minutes at her utter failure, which only further fueled her state of humiliation. She could still be an emotional wreck sometimes, and as hard as she'd tried, she hadn't been able to hold back her tears.

After that disaster she had decided to leave work early and head home for the day. But as bad as Peyton's day had been, she knew Lucas' day had been a more difficult one to get through. The day of Dan's parole hearing had finally arrived and Lucas had been an anxious mess since last night. Her plan had been to accompany Lucas, but as it turned out it was a closed hearing and only Lucas and Nathan had been granted permission to attend since they were family. She hadn't heard from Lucas since right before the hearing started and he wasn't returning her texts and calls. He should have returned home by now, so admittedly she was beginning to get a little worried.

She was just about to try his cell again when she heard the back door of the kitchen open.

"Lucas?" Peyton called out just as his footsteps cross the hall and he enters the bedroom. The second her eyes fall upon her husband Peyton jumps out of their bed and rushes over to him.

He looks worse off than when she had left him this morning. The exhaustion on his face is evident, his normally bright baby blues are bloodshot, and worst of all he looks absolutely devastated. The look on Lucas' face tells Peyton everything she needs to know.

"They're letting him out." Lucas says slowly before she can even ask.

"Oh honey…" Her arms immediately go around his neck, pulling him close. "I'm so sorry. That's awful."

"Some bullshit about good behavior." Lucas bitterly spits out. "Can you believe that shit? Even when both his sons spoke out against him and they still saw it fit to release him."

Peyton pulled back her face to look up at him. "Where have you been this whole time? I've been calling you for hours. I was starting to get worried."

"Nowhere in particular." Lucas replied. "I just got in my car and drove. I needed a break. I should have called, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I get it. Are you gonna be okay?"

"I don't know." He answered honestly. "Probably not."

"What can I do? There must be something I can do for you Luke. Just tell me what you need from me." She tightened the hold she had around his neck.

"This is a pretty good start." Lucas replied. His eyes snapped shut and he allowed himself to melt into Peyton's embrace as he wrapped his own arms around her torso and held on tightly. "What am I going to do Peyt? If I could get away with it I'd strangle the bastard myself. I don't know what I'll do the next time I see him. I mean if he stays in Tree Hill I'm bound to run into him at some point. What then? He killed Keith. How could they just let him walk? Shit and now I have to call my ma and tell her too. God I don't know what to do Peyton. This is all just so fucked up."

"We'll figure it out." Peyton quickly promised him. ""Just say the word and we'll pack our bags and head straight back to New York, even tonight if you want. You don't ever have to see that man again. If that's what you need Lucas then that's what we'll do."

"I already promised you we'd move back." He said quietly.

"And I give you permission to break that promise." She told him before pressing her lips over his cheek. "Just tell me what you need Lucas and I'll give it to you, whatever you want. I want to do this for you. I want to help you. Always."

"You. I just need you Peyton."

Peyton could make out the desperation in his words. "You have me. I'm yours." She said reassuringly.

"I'm here." She speaks with a finality to her tone that lets Lucas know that she's not going anywhere, not without him at least. He's already helped her get through so much and she was determined to help him get through this too.

"Good…because I need you Peyton." Lucas managed to choke out before slanting his lips over Peyton's before steadily backing them up until they fall into bed together. She's trapped underneath him. His mouth feverishly attacking every trace of her neck and chest that's left exposed, while his hands busied themselves, pawing all over her body.

* * *

A few hours later Peyton stirs awake. Her eyes fluttered open when she feels Lucas pressing his lips gently over her forehead. He had her tightly wrapped around his body, her naked form pressed up against his. The funny part was that they hadn't slept together or done anything really of that nature. She had most certainly been expecting it with the way Lucas had pulled her into bed with his urgent touches. They had made out for awhile and then he had undressed her, but it turned out that Lucas just wanted to hold her. He wanted the feel of her skin against his. He sought the comfort that came with having Peyton in his arms. According to him, that's what was going to fix him. That's all he needed from her in that moment.

"Did you sleep at all?" Peyton questions as she brings a hand up to his tired face. She brings her thumb across his right cheek repeatedly.

"A little."

"Liar." She replies with a small smirk. "You should really try to get some rest Luke."

"Maybe later."

"Are you hungry? I could make us something."

"I'm okay right now. I rather just hold you for a little while longer."

"That I can do." Peyton drops the hand at his face bringing it to his chest, her fingertips forming imaginary circles across his bare skin. "You know I meant what I said about New York Luke. Just say the word and we're outta here."

"We're not leaving." Lucas firmly announced. "I'm not letting that prick run us out of town. This is my home too. I've never let him dictate any aspect of my life and I'm not about to start now."

"It could just be for a little while." Peyton offered. "Give you time to sort through this mess."

"I can do that here." Lucas rolled on to his side to face her. "Anyway let's not talk about Dan anymore babe. He's not worth the breath. How was your day?" He begins to rub her arm.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "Fine."

"Just fine?" He looked over at her suspiciously. Peyton usually talked his ear off about work most days.

Peyton sighed. "I kind of fucked up at work today. It's all sorted out now though and I really rather not talk about it if that's okay."

"Fair enough. I guess we both kind of had shitty days today huh?"

"You definitely win though."

Lucas cracked a smile.

"I really wish I could have been there for you today."

"I know that. Don't beat yourself up about it, and besides I had Nate there with me."

"How's he doing?" Peyton wondered.

"I dunno…it's hard to tell. Nathan's relationship with Dan is much more complicated than mine is. He was actually raised by the man, whereas the first time I ever exchanged words with Dan was when I sixteen. I think it's probably even harder for him. He has memories growing up with him and I don't, which in a weird way makes it easier for me to move on from Dan. I don't think Nathan will ever really have that luxury. Dan will always be his father and for me he's just the sperm donor."

Peyton slowly nodded. "That makes sense."

"Haley will see him through this. She has before. He'll be fine. We both will."

"Today sucks." Peyton pouted rather unhappily.

"Can't argue with you there babe." Lucas paused in thought. "Hey you wanna go somewhere?" Another tiny smile suddenly grazed his lips.

"Where?"

"Our special spot. I haven't taken you out there yet."

Peyton squinted her eyes at him. "We have a special spot?" This was the first she was hearing of it.

Lucas nodded. "Sure do. Go get dressed."

"But it's late and it's cold out tonight." Peyton protested, slightly whining.

"So dress warm and we'll bring some hot chocolate for the road."

"Do we have to?" Staying in bed really was the better option here in her opinion.

"You won't regret it. I promise."

* * *

After stepping out of the car Peyton took a look at her surroundings. It was dark out, but she could smell the water and they had taken the back roads during their drive making it fairly obviously that they were at the lake right outside of town.

"So..." Peyton began. "Okay, I think I've figured it out. You have Dan's body in the trunk and we're here to dump it in the lake?"

Lucas laughed at her. "You got me. Can't get anything past you." He joked.

Peyton smiled. "Seriously though why are we here? What's so special about this lake?"

"This is where we got married silly. I thought you would recognize it from the pictures."

Peyton looked around once more. Shit, he was right. "Right here?" She questioned excitedly.

"Well actually…" Lucas grabbed Peyton's arm and pulled her several feet away from the car. "More like right here." He announced once they were situated at the correct spot where they had exchanged their vows in front of all their friends and family.

Peyton grinned. "Kiss me?"

"Thought you'd never ask." He brought her in close and kissed her slowly.

* * *

Eventually they headed back towards the car. Lucas pulled a blanket out from the back and they sat in the backseat of Peyton's comet, while they sipped on the hot chocolate they brought with them from home.

"We should come back during the day so I can get a better look." Peyton requested after finishing the last of her beverage.

"Sure." Lucas replied as he played with the engagement ring on her ring finger, rotating it every so often.

Peyton watched Lucas' fingers moving over hers for quite some time before suddenly sitting up straight in her seat. She pulled her left hand away from Lucas and brought it up to her face, inspecting it closely.

"You okay?" He wondered.

"This ring is important." She stated rather seriously before turning her face towards Lucas. "Right?" She questioned seeking confirmation.

Lucas frowned in confusion as he scratched the stubble on his chin. "Well yeah…I mean it's the ring I gave you when I asked you to marry me. You know I think they call it an engagement ring." He teased.

Peyton shook her head at him dismissively. "No that's not why it's important." She looked back down at her hand thinking hard.

"This is Keith's ring." She blurted out suddenly remembering. "It's the one he gave to your mom…and that's why it's special." She corrected Lucas.

Lucas nodded. "You're right. It is."

Peyton smiled to herself. "I knew it." She softly whispered.

"The girls told you that huh? About the ring?"

Peyton looked back up towards Lucas and shook her head. "No actually, it never came up." She gave Lucas a giant smile. "I just knew."

Lucas' face dropped in shock. "Peyton are you saying that…"

"It just came to me, just right now out of nowhere. I mean I don't remember you giving me the ring or anything, but I just suddenly got this feeling that it was important and then boom just like that I knew where it came from."

"Peyton that's so great! Baby c'mere." Lucas slid her body back his way and kissed her hard.

"Looks like all hope's not lost just yet." Peyton giggled as Lucas eagerly kissed her again.

"See? I told you that you wouldn't regret coming here tonight."

Peyton chuckled. "It looks like today didn't suck that bad after all huh?"

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – November 2009**_

" _Well that's the last of it." Lucas announced as he dusted off his hands after bringing in the last box of Peyton's things into the house. A week and a half after he had asked her to move in, Peyton had packed all her things from Brooke's place and had moved them over to his place. Brooke hadn't been exactly happy at first, but with enough nagging from Peyton she eventually gave them her blessing. Her father wasn't exactly thrilled over the news either, but that was to be expected and Peyton assured Lucas that Larry would eventually come around._

 _Peyton jumped up on the kitchen counter to sit. "Home sweet home huh?" She playfully kicked her legs out at him._

" _Pretty much." Lucas pried her legs apart and stepped forward, wedging himself between them. His hands rested at Peyton's waist, while her arms circled loosely around his neck. "Hi new roomie." He said before pressing their lips together._

" _Hi yourself." She mumbled back against his lips._

" _Should we start unpacking some stuff?" He suggested. "Clothes maybe?"_

 _Peyton shook her head. "Nah, we can do it tomorrow. I always just end up wearing one of your shirts to bed anyway."_

 _Lucas smirked. "Well in that case we should just never bother with unpacking your wardrobe. I kind of like you in nothing but my shirts."_

 _Peyton playfully pushed his face away. "Dork."_

" _I'm your dork." Lucas corrected._

" _Well yea someone had to take you in." She teased. "And would you look at that I got a sweet house out of it too."_

" _I still can't believe we're actually doing this." Peyton blew out nervous breath. "This is crazy right?"_

" _Maybe, but I see it as the good kind of crazy."_

" _I'm pretty sure crazy is just crazy." She teased again._

" _This is us starting our lives together babe."_

 _Peyton smirked over at him. "Oh is that so?"_

" _Why else would I ask you to move in? It's because I see a future with you Peyton."_

" _What kind of future?" She questioned innocently while she played with the collar of his t-shirt._

" _The kind where I like you enough to put a ring on it." Lucas joked._

 _He had just the ring too. Keith's ring._

 _Peyton's eyes widened a bit. "You might wanna marry me?"_

" _No, I'm gonna marry you." He corrected her. "Someday."_

" _Oh."_

" _C'mon Peyton you knew where this was heading. Didn't you? I mean you've never pictured having that kind of future with me?"_

 _Peyton's lips slightly twisted. "Someday sounds nice." She eventually told him. "And yes I have." Which was absolutely ridiculous considering they'd only be dating for five months. "I just didn't think we'd be talking about that kind of stuff so early on."_

" _Relax Peyton, I'm not popping the question tomorrow if that's what you're thinking. But I will someday."_

 _Peyton offered a coy smile. "Good to know."_

 _She leaned forward, gently pressing their lips together again._

" _Hey can I tell you something kind of important?"_

" _Of course."_

" _I'm thinking about quitting the record store." She confessed. "Actually I'm thinking about leaving THUD too."_

" _So why don't you?"_

 _Peyton's face dropped. "You really think I should?"_

" _Babe I can tell you haven't been happy working at either of those places for a now a while."_

" _Well yeah it was just something to tide me over the summer while I found a real job. But here I am six months after graduation and I'm still unemployed." Peyton huffed. "I don't know what to do Lucas. It's not like this town or anywhere in the area is crawling with opportunities in the music industry. I just feel so stuck."_

" _You'll figure it out."_

" _Or maybe I should just suck it up and take an office job I'll hate just like everyone else does straight out of college." The blonde muttered._

" _Peyton, you're destined for something far better than some crumby office job."_

" _Yea but in the mean time I need money and working part time at the record store doesn't exactly bring in much cash."_

" _So what do you wanna do Peyton? That's what you have to figure out first and then we'll make it happen somehow."_

 _Peyton sighed loudly. "Well Brooke and I were talking…"_

" _And?"_

" _Well it's stupid really…I mean it's not a real thing that could actually happen…"_

" _C'mon spit it out already."_

 _Peyton paused._

 _Taking in a deep breath she finally spoke up again. "Brooke thinks I should start my own label and run it my way. It's stupid right?"_

 _Lucas smiled. "Are you kidding? I think it's a great idea Peyton."_

 _Peyton shook her head. "No it's ridiculous, I could never just do it. I'm a nobody."_

" _You'd be great at it and you have the experience from working out in LA. You'd know exactly what to and what not to do. Babe I think you could really do this." Lucas encouraged. "And more importantly it's exactly what you want to do. So there aren't any opportunities in Tree Hill for you to work in the music industry, so what? How about you create your own opportunity right here instead? I really think Brooke's on to something."_

" _Yea but it also takes a lot of work and not to mention a butt load of money." She argued._

" _So we'll go to a bank, take out a loan or whatever."_

" _Actually…Brooke already offered to loan me the money." She revealed quietly._

" _Wait why the hell are we even debating this then?! You have to do this Peyt. Not many people just come across this opportunity." Lucas reasoned._

 _Peyton winced. "It's a lot of money to borrow from a friend. I don't know if I feel comfortable doing that. This whole idea could tank and Brooke would be out of a lot money."_

 _Lucas shook his head. "It won't. You're gonna kickass at this babe. You've got this. I believe in you and so does Brooke, what more do you need? Just do it. Take the money and start the label. This is your one chance to do something really meaningful that you love on your own terms."_

 _Peyton groaned. Lucas did have a valid point. "I guess I can think it over some more."_

" _No. No more thinking. It's time to start taking some action. Tomorrow you're gonna quit both your jobs and then you're gonna start working on a business plan. We'll call my mom and she can help with that stuff. She owns two businesses after all."_

" _Lucas." She began to protest._

" _You want this Peyton, I know you do."_

" _I never said that I didn't."_

" _What's the problem then?"_

" _Guess I'm just scared that's all." She admitted, her head falling slightly._

 _He reached out gently tilting her face up by the chin. "Hey you can do this. You wanted my opinion and there it is Peyton, so what's it gonna be?"_

* * *

 **Somewhere along I-95 S (Virginia) – February 2015**

"You can switch on some music now if you want babe." Lucas suggested. They had been listening to the NBA stats of the week on the radio for the past half hour.

Peyton nodded and flipped through some stations until she found some suitable music.

They had spent the last week and a half back in New York packing up their apartment after deciding to break their lease early. Most of their furniture they either sold off or donated since they had no use for it back at home. The rest of their possessions they decided to throw in a U-Haul trailer and drive back down south to North Carolina.

"How much further do you think?" Peyton wondered as she watched Lucas maneuver his way down the highway.

"If we don't hit traffic again, which I'm sure we will, I'm guessing we should be home in about three to four hours." Lucas replied with his eyes still glued to the road out in front of him.

Peyton nodded without complaint, even if she was starting to get a little antsy. They'd been driving for about seven hours now, though they had stopped a couple of times along the way to get food, gas or just simply to stretch their legs. "Hey I've got an idea!"

"Okay…"

"Let's play a game."

"What like the license plate game?" He joked.

"I was thinking more like twenty questions. There's still a lot of stuff I don't know about you." She pointed out.

Lucas nodded. "I'm game. Why don't you start us off?"

"Okay, what's your favorite color?"

Lucas chuckled. "Well this game is already off to a dull start I see."

"Shut up!" She reached over slapping his arm. "I'm just starting off easy."

Lucas grinned and shook his head. "If you say so and it's blue."

"Mine is…"

"Red." He quickly answered.

Peyton frowned. "This game isn't going to work well is it?" She realized. "You pretty much know everything about me already."

"Pretty much, but I'm sure I can come up with a few good ones along the way. How about you just ask me questions for now?"

"Okay, ummm let's see…" Peyton trailed off as she pondered her next question. "Okay when did you first notice me, like really notice me?"

"Seventh grade." Lucas answered without skipping a beat. "You were all long legs and a mess of tangled curls."

"Long legs? Geez sounds like you were a perv at quite the young age."

Lucas laughed. "You were my first real crush."

"But you never talked to me. Not in middle school or high school."

"C'mon you would have never given me the time of day and you know it, not with Brooke and the rest of your minions running around."

Peyton sheepishly shrugged. He wasn't exactly wrong. "When did you know that I was the one for you?"

"Not long after we spoke at my mom's café." He admitted. "We talked on the phone a bunch of times before we had our first date. I kind of fell in love with your voice and it just took off from there. When we finally met up again I was pretty much hooked from then on. I just knew."

"Who said I love you first?"

"You did, much to my surprise actually, three months into our relationship."

Peyton laughed. "You didn't think I felt the same way?"

"No I knew you did, but you were kind of hesitant and scared about our relationship in the very beginning. You insisted on being casual for awhile before we finally made it official. It drove me crazy. But anyway I just always assumed I'd be the one to say it first. You could be closed off at times and I didn't think you'd just blurt it out the way you did."

"Where did it happen?"

Lucas chuckled. "Out back of my mom's café by the trash."

"How romantic." Peyton drawled out.

"And then we had sex in the alley." Lucas cheekily added.

"We did not!" Peyton gasped out. "You are so making that up!" She accused.

"Oh you bet your sweet ass we did and then we had car sex. Twice." He informed Peyton, still looking quite smug.

"Oh my god." Peyton added slightly mortified hardly believing it. Apparently she had turned into an exhibitionist now?

"It was fun." Lucas ribbed on.

"MOVING ON…" Peyton quickly announced with reddened cheeks. "You love basketball right?"

"Yep."

"And according to everyone you're pretty good at it."

"I'm alright."

"So how come you never tried joining the Ravens and playing it in college? Haley mentioned once that it had been a dream of yours to play pro just like Nathan."

"It was, since I was a kid."

"So why didn't you?"

Lucas sighed. "Because physically I can't and I kind of had to give up on that dream back in high school."

Peyton raised an eyebrow.

"I have this heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM for short. It's genetic, I got it from Dan. I was sixteen when I found out. Nate doesn't have it though, which is why he still plays."

Peyton's face dropped in worry. "Wait, what? What does that even mean?"

"It's this thing that basically causes my heart muscle to thicken and it makes it harder for my heart to pump blood. It makes the risk for a heart attack greater, especially if I push my heart to work too hard. I take medication for it. It slows down my heart rate and that alleviates some of the pressure off my heart. But the side effect of the mediation is that it slows me down physically as well, so I'm not really able to play basketball to my full abilities."

"But you still play ball all the time with your friends!" Peyton said sounding quite worried.

"Yea for a pickup game or two. That's different from playing ball professionally every night. I'm still allowed to play just not for long periods of time."

"What about working out and stuff? You go out for runs all the time. Oh my god what about when we have sex!" She exclaimed. "That can't be good for your heart."

Lucas chuckled. "Sweetheart I'm fine. I've been dealing with this since I was sixteen and I always take my meds. As long as I keep taking them and don't unnecessarily push myself, I'll pretty much be okay. I can assure you that I'm not gonna have a heart attack from sex."

Peyton frowned. "I don't like the fact that I'm just hearing about this now. I've probably stressed you out enough these past few months to give you a heart attack. I mean had I known…"

"Sorry. It just honestly didn't even occur to me. I don't really think much about it anymore. I just take my medicine and that's pretty much it. It's just part of my routine now."

"You sure your heart's okay though?"

"I promise." Lucas reassured her. "You have nothing to worry about." He reached out and took her hands into his and squeezed it lovingly. "C'mon ask me some more questions pretty lady."

* * *

Peyton's entire body was flushed. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying hard to resist the urge to tightly squeeze her legs together. "Why did you go on and do that for? You jerk."

Lucas had decided he'd had enough with all the boring generic questions Peyton had been shooting his way for the past thirty minutes. He decided to make things interesting by throwing an absolute curve ball into the mix when he asked what her sexual fantasies were. Her eyes had widened to the size of saucers and she flat out refused to answer.

What a pervert.

So instead Lucas volunteered to go first.

And boy did he ever.

He had just finished going into considerable detail about one particular fantasy that had Peyton squirming in her car seat the entire time. He had no doubt played unfair, using his talent as an author to visually paint a picture she did not need in her head during the middle of a road trip back home.

Lucas laughed. "Oh did I make you uncomfortable?" He feigned innocence causing Peyton to scowl. "Well if it makes you feel any better you've enjoyed playing out that little scenario plenty of times."

"Lucas." Peyton groaned unhappily as she felt her face heat up some more. "Stop it." She begged.

Lucas continued to poke fun at her instead. "Not a chance. It's okay to admit that you're turned on baby."

"You're a jerk." She blew out a breath and once again shifted around in her seat.

"Well we could always just pull over and…"

Hell he was pretty turned on too. A nice quickie wouldn't be out the question honestly. It's not like they hadn't done it before in the past.

"We most certainly will not be pulling over!" Peyton hissed at his bold suggestion. Was her body begging her to pull over this car? Well yes, but she wasn't about to actually go ahead and do that.

Lucas shrugged nonchalantly. "Yea fair enough I guess. I don't really have anything in the car that I could tie you up with anyway…"

"LUCAS!" She practically screeched and looked around embarrassed.

"What are you looking around for? There's no one else in the car." He immediately laughed at her behavior. "Anyway it's your turn. Tell me your fantasy." Lucas requested as he switched lanes on the road to bypass a slow moving truck up ahead.

"Ha, no." She said quite deadpanned.

"You're not allowed to veto!" Lucas argued.

"Sure I am. My game, my rules." The blonde insisted.

"Oh come on!" He whined.

"You probably already know it anyway." She mumbled out. He did pretty much know every single thing there was to know about her. He had proved it time and time again.

"Yea, but I wanna see if it's still the same. Maybe something's changed." He teased.

"Ask another question Lucas." Peyton said in a clipped tone.

Lucas pouted. "You're no fun." He complained. "Fine we'll start off easy, favorite sexual position?"

Peyton's mouth gaped open. The man was relentless. How had an innocent round of twenty questions backfired on her?

"Mine is…"

"I know exactly what your favorite position is thank you very much!" Peyton quickly interrupted. This really wasn't helping her current state. She was still pretty horny from Lucas' explicit storytelling.

He was laughing at her yet again.

"Okay your turn then."

"Veto."

Lucas groaned. "No more vetos." He firmly declared. "Tell me."

"You already know it!" She hissed and proceeded to open the passenger side window. Perhaps the fresh air would cool her off.

"I just need simple confirmation that it's still the same." Lucas defended. "I gotta stay on top of my game you know."

"Nope." She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. If she answered that it would only encourage him to ask more of those types of questions. Peyton had no problems talking about sex. It wasn't like she was a prude or anything, but there were more appropriate settings for that kind of talk, which did not include a moving vehicle, where she couldn't exactly touch her husband or achieve the release she desperately sought without crashing the car. He really was a jerk for getting her all worked up like this.

"If you say it out loud, I'll fuck you like that once we get home." He offered. "I'll even do that other thing I know you really like."

Lucas watched Peyton carefully pause in consideration. The look on her face told him all that he needed to know.

She was about to cave and he had so won this round.

* * *

So this chapter was pretty much more Leyton fluff, but I promise we'll be moving full speed ahead after this. There's not much more to this story left to tell and I'll be wrapping it up within the next 10 - 12 chapters, maybe less depending.

Chapter Track: 'Hold On, We're Going Home' By Drake

Until next time, love you guys! And if you have a minute to spare please review! I always look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.


	37. Unmet Expectations

Reviews

 **Divine Lustre** – "a teaspoon of cute with a heaping tablespoon of sexy" – ha I so loved that!

 **Leyte –** Glad you liked the fluff!

 **Guest** – Nothing like a tiny memory slip in to bright up the day!

 **jordana60** – It's actually her second memory! Don't forget that Peyton had that dream about their first date as well.

 **Chilarie** – Welcome back! I'm so happy to hear you've enjoyed the last couple of chapters. Your support has been amazing!

 **Tpassions** – In this chapter we'll catch up a little with Nate and Haley, but Brooke's shower won't be for a while.

 **0o – SAWYERSCOTT – o0** – Thanks for reading. Welcome to the story!

 **thibbs65 –** The 20 questions bit was my favorite part about that chapter. It's fun getting to write playful Leyton again. Glad you liked it!

 **secondstarontheright** – As always thanks girl! You rock! xoxo

 **DeTurge** – Thanks!

 **Destiana. Caldin** – Glad you loved it! Thank you so much for all your constant support.

 **simplyaprillyn** – You're the best! I don't know how many times I have to tell you that, but it's true, lol.

* * *

Chapter 37: Unmet Expectations

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – February 2015**

Her head is shaking at him in disapproval. "Again? Really Nathan? You promised him!"

"What do you want me to do huh? Refuse? This is my job. If they need us back a day early then I have to go." Nathan defended.

Haley crosses her arms over her chest. She's just about had enough of this shit. Originally Nathan wasn't due back in Charlotte until tomorrow night, but a phone call from his agent this morning had quickly spoiled that and now he was expected to be back in town by tonight. "You do realize that you were the one who signed your son up for this basketball league and you have yet to make it to any of his games! What the hell am I supposed to tell him? Jamie's gonna be crushed."

Nathan sighed rubbing his temple. "I've already talked to him. He understands." He already felt like crap for having to bail on his son yet again, he really didn't need Haley rubbing it in.

"He's nine Nathan. He doesn't understand as well as you think he does. He's probably just putting on a brave face for you."

"I already promised to make it up to him. I'll be there for the next one."

Haley released a snort. "You say that every damn time."

Nathan sighed. "I know, I'm sorry okay? It's not like I do this on purpose, but you know how tight my schedule is during the season. I don't have any say in the matter and you know that." He defended. "This isn't something new."

"Yea but we have two kids now and they're growing up fast. You're missing out on things Nathan and they're not dumb. They do notice these things."

"So what you just want me to up and quit then?" He harshly accused.

Haley's mouth quickly clamped shut. If her mother had taught her anything it was if you had nothing nice to say it was best not say anything at all.

Nathan's eyes narrowed down at her. "Well?" He waited demanding an answer.

Haley's shoulders dropped and she blew out a breath before speaking again. "Of course not." She spoke softly and sounded rather defeated. "But I'm getting tired of this Nathan and you don't seem to be offering up any reasonable solutions other than for us to just grin and bear it."

"Okay that's not fucking true. I've been pushing for you and kids to move to the city fulltime for the past two years and you've flat out refused."

"Because I don't want to uproot them from everything and everyone they know!"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Uproot them? It's three hours away Hales and they've been there hundreds of times. It wouldn't be that hard of an adjustment."

"Maybe not so much for Liddy, but what about Jamie? All his friends are here."

"He'll make new friends and we'll still keep the house here and come back all the time. Plus he'll get to see me play all the time and hang out with all the players and their kids."

"Oh great we're bribing him with basketball now. Awesome." Haley sarcastically muttered.

"You know Hales I don't see you offering up any bright ideas." Nathan pointed out. "At least I'm trying here."

"Okay and then what about next season? Are we gonna end up moving again in a few months?" Even if they moved to Charlotte to be with Nathan full time for what was left of the season, chances were Nathan wouldn't be playing with the Bobcats come the fall. Although nothing official yet had been offered, there were a few teams that had been sending out feelers and they were all scattered across the country.

Nathan groaned. "Nothing's been set in stone yet Haley and you know I would never make a final decision without you and the kids. I could always stay in Charlotte. I like playing with the Bobcats."

Haley sent her husband a highly skeptical look. "You're gonna give up Los Angeles, or Chicago, or Miami?" And those were only a couple on a long list of teams that had shown interest in Nathan this year.

Nathan's mouth silently flapped open a couple times.

"Yea I didn't think so." Haley turned away from him and began cleaning the kitchen countertop.

Nathan stepped closer to her. "Haley. C'mon don't be like this." He pleaded.

The brunette quickly dismissed him as she eyed the duffel bag by his feet. "You should get going or else you'll hit traffic soon."

"You really want to leave things like this?" He sure didn't.

Haley shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"Baby c'mon, I'm trying here." He reached out touching her shoulder.

She finally looked up in his direction. "Just go Nathan. We clearly aren't gonna be able to resolve anything right at this moment and I'm just really not in the mood to get into the same argument again. I'm fucking sick of it and I have better things to do right now like for example taking care of our two kids."

His hand immediately dropped from her shoulder.

"Oh and I don't?! Did you seriously just go there?" Nathan growled out. He completely understood where his wife's frustration was coming from, but that last comment was uncalled for. Nathan prided himself in being a good father and though he wasn't perfect, he was a hell of lot better at parenting than Dan Scott, that's for sure.

Haley was about to reply, but a rather loud and awkward cough interrupted her thoughts.

"Um…guys?"

Both Haley and Nathan turned over to see Lucas and Peyton with joint hands standing there in their kitchen.

Haley 's eyes had immediately widened with embarrassment, while Nathan scowled in the couple's direction at their bad timing. On the other hand their sudden appearance had probably just saved them from getting into another huge fight.

"How long have you two been standing there?" Nathan questioned.

The blonde couple quickly looked at each other. "Not long." "Just got here." They both blurted out at the same time unconvincingly after turning their heads back to face Nathan and Haley.

"The door was open." Peyton soon added.

Nathan sighed in frustration and shook his head. "I've gotta head out anyway." He relented no longer wanting to deal with any of this right now.

Lucas frowned. "Go? I thought you weren't leaving until tomorrow." Peyton discreetly stepped hard on his foot causing the blond to wince in pain.

"Change of plans." Nathan muttered as he bent down to grab his bag and slid it over his shoulder. He turned back towards Haley. "I'll call you when I get there." He leaned over to deliver a goodbye kiss, but Haley strategically ducked her head into a kitchen cabinet pretending to look for something, his face nearly slamming into the cabinet door – not that Haley seemed to be all that concerned anyway.

Both Lucas and Peyton awkwardly pretended that they hadn't witnessed the whole thing.

Nathan sighed and backed away. "I'll call you later." He grumbled at Haley. "See you guys." He added as he passed his brother and sister-in-law. "Oh and by the way Dan's dying." He announced over his shoulder in a deadpanned tone before making his exit.

Lucas' jaw dropped in confusion. "Dan's dying? Did I just hear that right?"

"Allegedly." Haley spat out as she furiously continued to wipe down the counter. "He cornered Nathan at the river court yesterday and apparently his heart is no good. If he doesn't get a transplant soon he'll die.

"And we actually believe him?" Lucas spoke out incredulously.

Peyton's face paled. "Because of the HCM thing?"

Haley nodded. "We don't know if he's telling the truth or if this is just some ploy to get back in our lives."

"Lucas." The blonde called his name in worry and proceeded to squeeze his hand.

"Sounds like a desperate attempt to me." Lucas concluded. He squeezed Peyton's hand back reassuringly. _'My heart's fine.'_ He mouthed her way.

Peyton gave a sad smile. She wasn't exactly convinced.

"Well with Dan you never really know." Haley spoke annoyed.

"I think the counter's clean Hales." Peyton joked as she observed how the brunette became fixated with a spot on the counter. She was rubbing at it so hard she was going to burn a giant hole right through it.

Haley halted her cleaning and sighed. She looked up at the couple. "Not that I don't love it when you two drop by for a visit, but why are you guys here? Now's just not a really good time." She was upset at herself for leaving things so unsettled with Nathan. The thickness of their tension still lingered in the air, weighing her down.

Peyton sent her friend a sympathetic look. "You okay Haley?"

Haley quickly nodded. "I'm fine, really."

"We're here for the kids remember?" Lucas spoke up and answered her question.

Haley's face lit up in recognition. "Shit. That's right. I'm sorry it completely slipped my mind." Between dealing with the stress of Dan's release and the ongoing tension between her and Nathan, she had forgotten that Lucas and Peyton were taking the kids away for the day. They were going to some fair in Wilmington. "Damn I'm sorry, I know I was supposed to have them dressed and ready to go. I'll go do that right now! Just give me like twenty minutes okay?"

"I can do that!" Peyton quickly volunteered. It looked like Haley really needed her best friend right now and this would give them a chance to chat alone.

"Oh you don't have too…"

Peyton interrupted. "Nonsense I'd be happy to." She turned over to Lucas giving him a quick peck on the lips before leaving. "I'll go find them."

"Thanks…" Haley softly spoke as she watched Peyton head upstairs to fetch the kids.

"So…" Lucas began as he joined Haley and sat at one of the kitchen stools alongside her. "Wanna tell me what all that was back there with Nate?"

Haley's shoulders slumped. "Not really."

"Well too bad cuz you're gonna tell me anyway."

"It's nothing really." She shook her head like it was no big deal.

"Hales I'm not blind. It seemed kind of serious."

Haley blew out a breath. "Nathan's been in the NBA since he turned 21 and I get that the lifestyle is stressful, unpredictable, and fast-paced. I've always known that and it never really bothered me all that much before. I've always been willingly to make those small sacrifices for Nate and his dream. But now it's seven years later and I'm just…tired, and it isn't just about me anymore. The kids are getting older, especially Jamie and I just want Nathan to be home more. I hate all the stuff he misses out on. Skyping with the kids only go so far."

"You guys will work it out."

"This isn't a new fight Luke. It's been ongoing for some time now and this time next year we might not even still be here."

"Huh?"

She sighed. "Word on the street is that there are going to be a lot of offers for Nathan pretty soon since his contract with the Bobcats is almost up, and as happy and proud as I am for my husband, I'm not exactly thrilled about the possibility of moving across the country and starting over."

"Hey since when is the Haley James I know afraid of a challenge? I mean as much as I would miss you guys, this could be a really fun and cool adventure." Lucas offered. "It might even make your marriage stronger taking on a new place together."

"And if it isn't?"

"I see…" Lucas nodded. He understood now what the real problem was. "It's not the moving part that's really bothering you is it Hales? I think you're more afraid that the move might make things worse between you two."

"Of course I am!" Haley blurted out. "I mean we're fighting so much now Lucas, more than ever. If we can't get along here at home, how is moving somewhere else gonna fix things? What if it makes it worse? I can't lose my husband Luke."

"You are not gonna lose Nathan. I bet my life on that. You're the only woman he has ever loved and you're the mother of his children."

"I've been nagging him a lot lately." Haley admitted.

Lucas grinned. "So what? I'm sure my idiot brother deserves it most of the time anyway." He playfully nudged her shoulder with his.

Haley chuckled.

"It's gonna be okay Haley. I know my brother and as much as Nathan loves the game, he loves you and the kids more, and he would never jeopardize that. Whatever decisions you guys make together it will be the right ones. You two will figure it out. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but you'll get it right. I'm sure of it."

"Thank you Lucas." Haley said starting to feel a little better. She needed to hear that. She really did and having it come from her best friend just made it all that much sweeter.

"Always." Lucas responded before pausing. "How come you never mentioned before that you and Nate were having problems?"

Haley shrugged. "You've got so much stuff going on with Peyton. I didn't wanna be a bother."

"Hey." Lucas looped an arm around her shoulders. "You Haley James Scott are my best friend and I could never be too busy for you. Hell I don't know what I would have done without you these past few months. Every time I called you freaking out about Peyton you were always there to set me straight."

"Damn straight." Haley teased.

"I don't want you to feel like you can't ever come to me, okay? I know I've been kind of wrapped up in Peyton lately, but I will always make time for you. You come to me whenever you need me. Deal?" He playfully held out his pinky finger at Haley.

Haley smiled. "Deal." She replied as she linked her pinky with his just like they used to do when they were kids. "Thanks Luke." She dropped her head over his left shoulder. He dropped a kiss over her head.

"You think Dan's really dying?" Lucas questioned.

"Honestly these days there's not much I am certain of. Guess we'll have to wait and see. He told Nathan he wants to get to know the kids."

Lucas released a snort. "Over my dead body."

"My thoughts exactly. Nathan told him to stay away."

"And if he really is dying? What then?" Lucas wondered. "Do you think Nate will still keep his distance?"

"I have no idea. Whatever Nathan wants I guess, but what do you want Lucas?"

Lucas paused before shaking his head. "From Dan? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

* * *

"Here you go cutie." Peyton said as she reached out towards the backseat and handed Lydia the juice box she had requested. "What about you Jamie anything to drink?"

"Not right now, thanks Aunt Peyton."

She next turned to the driver's seat. "Luke?"

"I'll just have a few sips of your ice tea if that's okay." Lucas replied. She offered the bottle of ice tea to his lips and he quickly took a few sips as he continued to drive.

"Uncle Lucas will there be face painting at the fair?" Lydia questioned.

"Man I sure hope so." Lucas responded enthusiastically. "What would you get done on your face Liddy?"

"A butterfly!" The three year old squealed from her car seat. "One on each cheek!" She decisively added.

"Oh well maybe I'll get a big hairy spider on mine." Lucas teased.

Lydia stuck out her tongue cringing. "Gross! Not a spider Uncle Lucas. They're scary." She spoke with wide eyes.

"A slimy worm?" Lucas offered instead.

"Yuck!"

Peyton chuckled.

"Fly?"

Lydia made another unpleasant face. "I'll pick one for you." She decided instead before pausing to think. "You can get the very hungry caterpillar! I like him. That's what butterflies are before they turn into butterflies." The child proudly informed the other occupants in the car.

Lucas grinned. "Well that settles it I guess. What about Aunt Peyton? What should she get on her face?"

"Do you know what you want Aunt Peyton?" Lydia questioned.

"Well…in keeping with the bug theme how about a ladybug?"

"Ooh I want one too!" Lydia quickly agreed.

"We can get matching ones." Peyton offered and winked back at the little girl.

Lydia firmly nodded from her seat. "I'll get one butterfly and one ladybug!" She then turned to her older brother, who was sitting beside her in the backseat. "What will you get Jamie?"

Jamie shrugged not all that invested in the idea of getting his face painted. "Maybe the batman symbol."

"No it has to be a bug." Lydia reminded him. "Uncle Lucas, Aunt Peyton, and me, we're all getting painted bugs."

"I don't want a bug on my face."

"You can get a grasshopper." Lydia said completely ignoring her older brother. "It's green and that's your favorite color." She added sounding quite bossy.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "I don't want a stupid bug on my face Lydia."

"You HAVE to get a bug Jamie." Lydia insisted in a whine. "Uncle Lucas tell him! He has to! Jamie has to!"

"No."

"Uncle Lucas!"

"Okay you two settle down back there. I have no problem turning this car around and taking you back home. Peyton and I can enjoy the fair without you." Lucas informed them. "Let's all get along today alright?"

"But I wanna do face painting!"

"If there's face painting at the fair I promise Liddy that's the first thing we'll do. I promise, okay?"

"Jamie too."

Jamie sucked in his teeth. "You're not seriously making me put a grasshopper on my face are you Uncle Lucas?" He questioned his uncle in disbelief.

Lucas let out an exasperated sigh. "Jamie doesn't have to if he doesn't want to Liddy."

Lydia pouted without delay. "Well why not?"

"Because no one likes to be forced to do something they don't want to do, including you young lady."

The scowl on Lydia's face only deepened. Like many children that age she wasn't a fan of not getting her way. "That's stupid!"

"Hey we don't say that." Lucas scolded. "You know better than that and your mother would not be pleased."

"Jamie said it first!"

Jamie scoffed.

"Well how bout from now on no one says the word stupid, deal?" Peyton interjected noticing that Lucas' patience was starting to wear.

"Um hello you just said it." Jamie quipped and shortly after the entire car burst into laughs.

"Okay well from this moment on." Peyton teased through a chuckle. "Wise guy…" She playfully stuck her tongue out at Jamie.

"Aunt Peyton's funny." Lydia commented appearing to be in better mood now.

"Well little lady I think you owe your big brother an apology. You weren't being very nice before." Peyton told her.

Lydia blew out a breath, but obeyed nonetheless. "I'm sorry Jamie. You don't have to get a bug if you don't wanna."

"It's okay." Jamie replied. "Hey how about I get the Spiderman symbol instead? It's still a bug." He offered in a compromise.

Lydia grinned and quickly nodded. "Now all of us gots bugs!"

Lucas and Peyton both laughed.

"Hey hold on a minute so Jamie can get a spider but I can't?!" Lucas said rather dramatically.

"Well duh Spiderman's not scary Uncle Lucas." Lydia quickly pointed out.

"Gee well I'm sure glad that's settled." Lucas mocked.

Peyton's cell went off at that moment.

"Oh it's Brooke." Peyton announced as she took the call. "Hey B!"

"Hey P! Where you at? Are you running late? I'm already here."

Peyton frowned. "Huh?"

"I'm already at the baby boutique." Brooke repeated. "Are you almost here? You will not believe all the really cute baby crap I already want. I literally want everything in this store. You don't think Julian would mind if I get pink hats for the boys do you? They're so unbelievably adorbs."

' _Shit.'_ Peyton mouthed to herself. She had completely forgotten about her plans to go shopping with Brooke. They had made them shortly after Brooke had moved back into town. "Oh my god don't hate me, but I completely forgot that was today. I thought we were doing that tomorrow. I honestly don't know where my head was at. I'm so sorry Brooke."

"It's fine really, just hop in your car and make your way over here now. I can wait."

Peyton cringed over the line. "Actually I can't." She replied. "Lucas and I kind of decided to go out of town today with the kids. We're checking out this fair."

An awkward pause.

"Oh."

"I am so sorry Brooke. It was an honest mistake. Have you been waiting long? I feel just terrible about this."

"No…not that long." The brunette lied trying her best to play off her feelings of disappointment. Julian was away this week for work and she had been looking forward to spending the day with her best friend. Since moving back the couple of times she had seen Peyton so far had been hanging out with everyone else and today was supposed to be just the two of them. The plan had been to meet up at this little children's boutique Brooke had been dying to check out and then afterwards they were going to have lunch to discuss what kind of baby shower Brooke wanted. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm so sorry. How about we try for tomorrow? I'm one hundred percent all yours tomorrow I promise."

Brooke sighed. "I can't. I have a bunch of client calls all day tomorrow remember? Today was the only day this week I could do."

"Crap." Peyton cringed once more as she vaguely recalled Brooke mentioning something like that when they had made these plans. "I'm so sorry Brooke."

"It's fine, just forget it okay? No big deal." Brooke brushed it off.

"Well I'll make it up to you soon I swear. Let's plan for another day? Maybe next week?"

Peyton could hear Brooke sigh into the phone. "Yea sure. That sounds good. I guess I can call Hales to see if she wants to grab lunch instead."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Peyton said quickly agreeing. "I'm pretty sure she's just hanging out at home today."

"Yea I'll give her a call then." Brooke decided, not wanting the entire day to be a complete waste.

"Oh and even better you can tell her all the details about the baby shower."

"Um…yea I guess I could do that." Brooke replied a bit thrown off by the request. Sure Haley was helping with the planning, but technically it was Peyton who was throwing the shower. "But um don't you think it's kind of important that we go over that stuff together? Just um so that you understand exactly what I would like…"

"Haley can just fill me in at work. She's done the whole baby shower thing before so I'm sure she'll have no trouble relaying what you want."

That really wasn't the point, but Brooke decided to let it go. "Fine." She simply answered, admittedly through gritted teeth. "I'll talk to you later, bye." She abruptly hung up.

Peyton frowned putting her phone away.

"What was that all about?" Lucas inquired noticing the frown.

"I kind of forgot I had plans with Brooke today and now I kind of stood her up."

"Everything alright?"

"Yea totally." Peyton replied putting on a smile. "I feel bad, but she totally gets it and besides I can catch up with Brooke anytime. This fair however is a ONCE in a life time opportunity that the four of us absolutely CANNOT miss." She teased earning a giggle out of Lydia. "I'll make it up to Brooke later." She told Lucas. Even if Brooke was really mad at her, Peyton knew Brooke well enough to know that it would eventually subside, especially if she showed up with lots of ice cream.

"Okay then." Lucas replied seemingly satisfied with her answer. Peyton didn't seem all that worried about it, so there was little reason for him to be either.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – June 2010**_

" _Hey where are you? Aren't you back in town yet?" Peyton questioned as soon as his voice greeted her over the line._

" _Yea I'm back from the airport already, just crossing into town." Lucas replied. "But Brooke just called with some crisis at the store, something about a burst pipe and it's too late now to get a plumber to come out so I'm gonna swing by there first on the way home."_

" _I still don't know why you wouldn't let me pick you up from the airport." She complained._

" _It was faster to just grab a cab plus it's paid for by the publishing house so why the hell not right?"_

" _Sooo how did it go?" Peyton eagerly questioned. With the exception of a few exchanged texts she really hadn't had the chance to talk to him today._

 _Months ago Lucas had finally decided to send the book he had written to every publishing company out there. Most of them never bothered to get back in touch and the few that did sent big fat rejection letters his way. Not that he was naïve enough to expect that anyone would really be interested in this little book he had written anyway, but hey at least he tried. If the published author dream didn't happen Lucas was okay with that. He had a job he loved coaching the sport he loved, he was surrounded by good friends and family, and best of all he was living his life alongside the woman he loved more than life itself. He really had nothing to complain about. Life was good. Lucas Scott had everything he needed and honestly he didn't need anything else._

 _But as it turned out more good things were coming Lucas' way. A couple of weeks ago he was contacted by Lindsey Strauss, an editor who worked for a publishing company in New York City. She was interested in Lucas' book and wanted to set up a meeting and fly him out there._

" _Babe I think it's really happening. After the meeting with Lindsey, her boss and some other people, everyone seems to be on board." Lucas replied excitedly. "They're gonna draw up the final terms of the book deal and that's pretty much it I guess. I should probably get some sort of agent to look it over."_

" _Lucas you're gonna be a published author! I am so proud of you. This is amazing. I knew you could do it."_

" _I still can't believe they actually liked the book."_

" _Of course they did! It's a beautifully written story and more importantly it's honest. It comes from the heart." Peyton told him._

" _Thank you babe. Having your support really means a lot. "_

" _I love you."_

" _I love you too. I couldn't have done this without you."_

" _Yea pretty much." She teased. "Oh I baked a cake to celebrate!"_

 _Lucas laughed. "You baked a cake?" He questioned in a warily tone. His girlfriend wasn't exactly a wiz in the kitchen. She was more likely to burn it down._

" _Jerk." She replied picking up on the tone. "And Haley supervised." She begrudgingly revealed after a beat._

" _There we go." He teased. "Oh damn I just realized I'm gonna need my tools. Can you bring my tool box to the store?"_

" _Sure."_

" _Make sure to come through the back. The store front is already locked up for the night. I just got here." Lucas instructed._

* * *

" _Lucas?" Peyton calls out. She's already at Clothes Over Bros with his tool box in hand. She had stepped through the backdoor only to be greeted with utter darkness and complete silence. It didn't seem like anyone was here. Where were Brooke and Lucas?_

" _Luke? Brooke?"_

 _Once again she hears nothing but silence._

 _The blonde maneuvers herself as best as she can through the dark. She ends up bumping into boxes and hangers of clothes a few times, but eventually Peyton makes it past the storage area and into the front of the store. The first thing she notices is him standing there waiting for her and the faint glow coming off the several candles placed and scattered about behind him. He's dressed up too and looks pretty incredible for someone who'd supposedly just gotten off a plane._

 _"Hi." She says rather timidly_

 _"Hi." Lucas repeats while grinning over at her._

 _A nervous giggle escapes Peyton's mouth. "What's going on?" She sets the tool box by the register and starts to cautiously make her way towards Lucas._

 _It's then as she's walking towards him that Peyton notices how different that one corner of the store looks where Lucas continues to stand. The blonde feels like she's just stepped into some sort of time warp. The rest of the space is still Brooke's store, but that one corner by one of the front windows has been completely transformed. It looks exactly like it used to before. The decorations and the posters on the walls are exactly the same._ _There's a table and chairs set up by the window, the very same ones that used to be situated there not too long ago when this place had been Karen's Café. There are_ _two long white candles sitting at the center of the table. And she also notices the vanilla milkshake and a BLT with a side of fries sitting on the table - her usual order at Karen's._

 _"Lucas what is all this?" She's standing directly in front of her boyfriend now, but he still hasn't offered any explanations. Not only does he look nice, but he smells pretty damn good too. He's wearing that one cologne of his that drives her absolutely crazy. It's her favorite._

 _She's so confused._

 _Lucas still acts like a cat has got his tongue, but then he's taking her hands into his, squeezing them tightly before looking up at Peyton with this intense look that automatically has a chill running down her spine. She watches him clear his throat and swallow hard. He suddenly looks nervous and hell now she is too because it begins to dawn on Peyton just exactly what this is. There was never a broken pipe to fix. It had all been a set up._

 _"Holy shit." Peyton mumbles lowly. The signs are pretty clear on where this is heading and now she's deeply regretting her decision to leave the house in an over-sized worn tee, sweats, and flip flops. Not to mention that her hair is a complete mess and she's not wearing a stitch of makeup._

 _A small laugh escapes Lucas' lips and it's exactly the confidence boost he needs to finally begin. "Peyton-"_

 _"Yes!" The blonde blurts out immediately. "Yes." She feels the need to repeat her reply, you know just in case he hadn't heard her correctly the first time._

 _Lucas' mouth flaps open and he frowns. "I haven't even asked you yet." He scolded._

 _Peyton closes her eyes and releases a laugh. She's an anxious bag of nerves at this point and her stomach was currently doing somersaults. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She nods her head at Lucas, silently begging him to continue._

 _He takes in a deep breath. "Exactly one year ago today_ _you walked into this café and sat at this very table, at this very spot, and ordered this very same meal, and that simple action changed my entire life. By some chance you finally noticed me and I'm so grateful that you did, and I'm even more grateful to your car for breaking down that day because it brought us together."_

 _They both cracked a smile at the last bit._

 _"That single moment triggered what became the best summer of my life. I met the one person that was meant for me and we fell in love. You're my entire world and I can't imagine my life without you, and I'd like to think that you feel the same way. So, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, I love you and I need to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me?"_

 _By this point her vision was obstructed with tears. God she really did love this man and she really couldn't live without him either._

 _"Um this is the part where you can now say yes baby." Lucas encouraged. He was impatient to slip this ring on Peyton's finger and take her into his arms already._

 _"You remembered." She spoke softly. "I wasn't sure if you would." The cake she had baked today wasn't just in honor of his book deal, but also because they had met a year ago today. Okay so technically they knew each other from high school, but they had never really interacted much until last year._

 _"You'd really think I'd forget?" He teased, while his thumbs softly stroked the top of her knuckles. "So are you planning on answering my question anytime soon?"_

 _Peyton laughed and jumped into his arms. "Yes Lucas, god yes." He immediately pressed their lips together. "I love you so much." She managed to mumble out while Lucas' lips eagerly consumed hers and her hands tightly clutched onto the back of his neck._

 _Lucas kissed her a few more times before pulling away to retrieve the small box in his pants' pocket containing her ring. He opened the box revealing the ring. "I hope it's okay."_

 _"I love it." Peyton quickly replied. It was perfect. Everything about this moment was perfect._

 _"It's Keith's ring. The one he gave to my mom actually." He confessed._

 _"Well now I love it even more." It must have meant a great deal to Lucas and it made it all that more special for Peyton._

 _She offered her left hand and Lucas didn't hesitate slipping on the ring._

 _"Perfect." Peyton mused while sporting a giant grin as she admired her engagement ring._

 _They were engaged. She was marrying Lucas Scott and life couldn't get any better._

* * *

 **Wilmington, North Carolina – February 2015**

Peyton was sitting on a bench across the street from a park watching Lucas and Jamie play basketball with some kids that had been playing when they first arrived. She has Lydia in her lap, who had tuckered out a while ago. The three year old had spent a good chunk of the fair perched on top of Lucas' shoulders once she got tired from walking around. Peyton hugged Lydia close to her body as she slept noticing how the face paint on her cheeks had already begun to smear.

"Hey." Lucas greeted as he approaches the bench leaving Jamie to finish the game with the other kids. He sits right beside her. "You need a break?" He questions ready to take his niece off her hands.

"I'm good." The blonde replies hugging the child even closer. It was weird, she had never really liked kids much, but it was different with Lydia. Jamie too. She couldn't help but gravitate towards them and she felt like she needed to protect them. Peyton assumed it was probably some form of lingering feelings from her lost memories that made her feel this way. "I love watching you with them." She confessed to him while her eyes lingered back over towards Jamie. "You're really great with them Luke and they're just so crazy about you." She had observed how the kids' eyes had lit up around Lucas pretty much all day.

Lucas smiled. "I think the same can be said for their Aunt Peyton."

"I'm not as good with them like you are. I don't even know them as well as you do." She argued.

"It doesn't matter. They love you all the same."

Peyton shrugged. "So how come we don't have any?" It was something she had been wondering about for some time now. "We've been together for several years and there are no kids in the picture. Do you not want any?" Hell she wasn't sure if she even wanted any rugrats of her own running around, but she was curious nonetheless. Most people who get married usually have kids together.

Lucas nodded his head. "I do want kids. I've always wanted to be a dad, but the timing was kind of never right for us to start having some. Work was kind of crazy for both of us early on in our marriage, and then your dad passed, and then you went back to school." He explained.

"So I did want kids?" She said a bit surprised. Even with Jake she had never pictured having kids, but then again she was still a teenager at the time.

"Yes. We were just waiting for the right time. This past summer we started talking about it more. We felt that it was time and we were finally ready. The plan was to start trying after you finished school this coming May once we moved back to Tree Hill."

Peyton's face dropped. "Oh." Start trying to have kids? As in a few months from now? "Lucas, I…" She began to stutter. The thought of being pregnant in a few short months was pretty terrifying. She was barely able to keep her own life together. There was no way in hell she was ready to be responsible for another life.

Lucas drops a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. I'm not expecting anything Peyton. I wouldn't even dream of asking you for that right now. The only decisions that matter are the ones we make together now in the present. It doesn't matter now what our plans were back then."

"But you do still want kids someday right?" Would he still want her if she couldn't give him that?

"Of course I do." It was something he had desperately wanted for years now. He had been looking forward to this coming summer when they'd start trying, but that of course was no longer an option at the moment.

"And what if I don't?" She challenges him. "I mean I don't even know if I really like kids and not to mention I'd probably suck at the whole parenting part considering the limited time I had with my own parents." She was rambling now and it showed.

"You may feel that way now, but you'll want them. You will someday." He told her appearing unfazed by her words. This wasn't exactly a revelation to him. He remembered Peyton have the same exact doubts years prior, but eventually she came around on her own and wanted to start a family with him. He knew she just needed more time adjusting to their marriage and the future. He had no doubts they would get back there eventually. "I've seen you with these kids and you are going be an amazing mother Peyton, and I look forward to watching that happen and us parenting together someday. Just promise me that you won't completely rule out the possibility of us starting a family okay?"

Peyton swallows hard, but eventually gives Lucas a slow nod. "I promise." She supposed there was no harm in considering it.

* * *

Thank you guys for all the awesome reviews from the last chapter and please keep them coming! What were your thoughts on this one?

Until next time.


	38. It Ain't Always So Clear-Cut

Reviews

 **simplyaprillyn** – Your reviews always put a smile on my face. Thanks girl!

 **Tpassions** – Thanks for reading!

 **Talz** – Peyton blowing Brooke off is obviously not great, especially when Brooke has had Peyton's back while she's been going through all of this. You'll have to keep reading to see if those two can get back on track.

 **secondstarontheright** – It's funny because now that things are finally going great for Lucas and Peyton, everyone else around them seems to have hit this rough spot (Naley  & Brooke with Peyton). Can't wait for you to read what I have planned in these upcoming chapters.

 **Guest** – Well first off thank you so much for reading and following this story since the very beginning, which was over a year ago now! And of course thanks so much for taking the time to review for the first time. It's really wonderful to hear how this story has touched you and relates to your own personal experience so thanks for sharing that. I know this is fan fiction and all, but I still wanted to develop a story that was for the most part relatable and somewhat believable. So I guess I'm doing something right! Thanks again and I do hope you'll review again and share your thoughts. I look forward to it.

 **Chilarie07** – Yup! I'm glad you caught on to that little subtle bit of Peyton's maternal nature with Lydia, while vocally expressing her fears of being a mother with Lucas at the same time. Before her accident Peyton had a very close relationship with both Lydia and Jamie, hence the strong emotional connection she feels towards them even though she can't quite understand it.

 **Annie** – And you're back with double reviews, lol! Leyton being all cute and adorable has been sweet to write. Glad you enjoyed the proposal, it's so cheesy Leyton and I love it!

 **Destiana. Caldin** – I loved it when Peyton blurted out yes to Luke's second proposal on the show, so I kind of totally need to throw that in there because it was adorable.

 **thibbs65** – It's not so much as Nathan putting his family on the backburner, but more about Naley trying to find that balance between home and work life, which makes it a lot more difficult when you don't exactly have a normal job. Thanks so much for reading!

 **jordana60** – It's hard for Haley because she's always been fine with putting Nathan and his career first, but after seven years of him playing professionally she's just at a point where she's exhausted by the situation and she no longer wants to go through the motions. But obviously she doesn't want her husband to give up his career either. It just sucks all around. And yes I agree season five's Haley did have many unlikeable moments.

 **ArTiStAtHlEtE** – Welcome to the story! I absolutely love it when new binge readers come on the scene.

 **DeTurge** – Aww thanks!

 **Mufc87** – You're so sweet, thanks!

* * *

 _ **A/N: Fair warning, this chapter kicks off with a little smut, so skip on ahead if that's not your thing.**_

* * *

Chapter 38: It Ain't Always So Clear-Cut

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina -** **February 2015**

Lucas hissed loudly as he felt Peyton change the direction of her hips as she rotated them against his. "Right there babe. Keep going." He heavily panted against her lips, urging her to continue as the pressure inside of him continued to build.

Peyton matched the rapid pace of his breath, softly moaning Lucas' name when his tongue briefly swiped over hers as she continued to ride him. She pulled back from his face moving to sit straight up over his hips, while placing her hands over his chest allowing Peyton to hold herself steady as she increased the pace of her hips.

Lucas' hands fell over her waist as he assisted in guiding her up and down while he was deep inside of her. He observed the way her eyes tightly shut as she bit down hard on her bottom lip. The look of pure ecstasy on her face as her head fell back let him know that Peyton was almost there. One of his hands deserted her waist, sliding down her stomach and reaching in between them. She groaned in approval the second his fingers made contact with her clit. Her hips vigorously jerked against his hand as she chased after her release, while her inner walls began to tightly contract around his throbbing member. It didn't take long for her to explode around him, her lungs gasping for air, while her body fell forward and her damp forehead made contact with his chest.

She immediately placed open-mouthed kisses over his chest with her tongue licking across his skin every so often. The pace of her hips had slowed down into long lazy strokes while she recovered from the high of her orgasm. Peyton felt one of Lucas' hands glide down to grip her ass, firmly keeping her hips in place over his before proceeding to flip them over. As soon as her back hit the mattress he was thrusting into her hard, burying himself even deeper. Peyton cried out from the intense pressure and her hands reached for Lucas' face, tugging him near hers until their lips met. When their lips broke for some much needed air, Lucas had buried his face against the crook of her neck, his mouth grunting and his teeth nipping against her skin while he continued to move inside of her.

Peyton's hands had traveled south, down Lucas' back until she reached her destination. Her fingers dug into his ass, pressing into him every time he pressed into her, while her hips eagerly lifted up to meet his powerful thrusts. Between their shared moaning Peyton managed to focus long enough to lick her lips and settle them again his ear. She wasn't anywhere as gifted as Lucas was with his dirty talk, but over the course of these last few weeks since they started sleeping together Peyton had picked up on a few choice words that really got him going during sex. The effect was practically immediate as Peyton felt the large hand over her hip tighten almost painfully as she continued to spew words in Lucas' ear, telling him how much she loved the feel of him against her and how she loved it even more when he lost all control when he was inside of her. She begged him to give into his release as her walls repeatedly tightened around his manhood.

The movement of their bodies rolling against one another increased. She had stopped whispering in his ear, her mind unable to focus on anything other than the pleasure he continued to give her. The moans that escaped her parted lips combined with the hands that clutched on to Lucas' body for dear life were the only responses her brain could manage in this moment. She came apart for the second time when she dipped her own hand between them and Lucas followed closely behind.

"God you're amazing." Lucas panted out. His lips slowly made their way across her chest before he eventually lifted his head back up to look down at her. "I can't believe how good you fucking feel every single time. It's incredible. You're incredible. Sometimes I still can't believe that you're all mine. God I love you. "

Peyton smiled closing the gap between their lips as she felt those little butterflies take over her stomach, just like they did every time Lucas told her that he loved her. It always got her heart racing and her head dizzy in the best possible way. "I'm yours." She mumbled against their kiss, slightly sighing from the feel of him still throbbing inside of her. She wasn't ready to repeat those three little words back to him, but hopefully the reassurance that she was his would be enough to hold Lucas over for now. At least she prayed it was and Lucas hadn't given any other indication otherwise.

Lucas rolled over to his side relieving Peyton from the pressure of his weight. He threw an arm over her as she relaxed into his side and their lips reconnected like magnets.

"Omelets for breakfast?" Lucas suggested in-between the slow and tortuous kisses Peyton was currently delivering.

Peyton quickly nodded. "Yes please." She loved his omelets.

"I think I'm gonna go shower first." His fingers danced against her left hip. "You should join me." He boldly suggested with his lips pressed up against her sternum at this point.

The blonde instantly giggled knowing exactly where this was heading. "Again? Already?" Against her bare thigh she could feel that he was starting to harden once more.

"I just have to have you again." Lucas quietly moaned when her thigh slightly shifted and brushed up against his length. "Hurry up let's go." He roughly commanded.

"Lucas!" She chuckled refusing to move. She needed a minute to cool off first.

"What?" He sent her an innocent looking pout. "The faster we get going, the faster I can bend you over that shower."

Her face heated up at the delicious thought.

Lucas smirked and then began to whisper huskily in her ear. "Don't act like you don't like it when I have my way with you. You practically beg me for it every single time." His hand left the comfort of her hip and pushed itself between her legs. "You like it when I'm in control. Don't you baby?"

"Yes." Peyton managed to pant out while his hand continued its exploration.

"Shower." He told her once more.

She nodded enthusiastically clearly on board now. "Okay." She kissed him deeply. "I just need a minute."

"Alright." Lucas tore his hand away from her center causing Peyton to pout. "I'll go start the shower." He kissed her again. "Don't keep me waiting too long okay?" He teased.

She smiled and nodded again.

"I need you baby."

"I'll join you in a minute." Peyton promised as she watched Lucas climb out of their bed and exit the bedroom in all his glory. When he was gone Peyton raised her arms over her head, stretching out her entire body. The blonde smiled to herself as she thought about Lucas this morning and how she had woken up to him all positively hot and bothered, and horny for her. She had barely been able to mumble out a good morning before he was all over her.

Peyton sat up reaching for her phone on the nightstand beside the bed. She picked up the phone and her eyes widened in horror. "Shit, shit, shit!" She cried out as she looked at the time and saw the dozen or so missed calls and texts from Brooke. "Dammit! Fuck me." Peyton jumped out of bed and began rummaging through the closet for clothes to wear. She was supposed to meet up with Brooke over two hours ago. They had rescheduled their baby shopping extravaganza date for today after Peyton had forgotten last week. She had woken up early this morning too in anticipation, not wanting to let Brooke down again. How the hell had her and Lucas been fooling around in bed for this long? Sure they'd had sex a few times this morning, but how was it this late already?

Brooke was going to kill her.

* * *

Peyton had just arrived at Brooke's waiting for someone to answer the door. She had driven first past the baby store, already knowing that the brunette would probably be long gone by then, and of course she was right, Brooke's car had been nowhere in sight. After that Peyton had headed straight to the house figuring that was probably her best bet. Brooke's car was parked out front, a good sign that she was home, but had yet to answer the door and her numerous calls to Brooke's phone had remained unanswered. There was a lot of groveling to be done and Peyton had brought lots of ice cream with her as backup – just in case.

The blonde raised a finger, pressing the doorbell for the third time and again there was zero moment behind the door. Leaving wasn't really an option at this point – things had been weird enough between them lately – and she knew the blame mostly fell on her. This time Peyton raised her fist, endlessly pounding on the door. She wasn't going anywhere and she was making sure Brooke got the message loud and clear. A minute later the door swung open catching Peyton off guard and she almost hit Brooke square in the chest with her pounding fist.

Peyton gulped.

Brooke was not happy. The scowl on her face was proof enough. "Peyton." She greeted the blonde coldly with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hi." Peyton replied rather timidly.

"I'm busy."

"Listen I know we were supposed to meet up…"

Brooke cut her off. "Well that's funny that you decided to meet me here considering we were supposed to meet up three hours ago at the baby store."

Peyton sighed. "I know and I'm sorry about that. It was never my intention to stand you up."

"Twice." Brooke corrected through gritted teeth.

Another sigh escaped the blonde. "Twice." She really should have brought more ice cream. "Ice cream?" Peyton held up the bag, while sending Brooke a hopeful look that reeked of desperation.

One of Brooke's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose as she eyed the shopping bag full of ice cream containers. "Really? Bribery? Not your best trick." She questioned in disbelief, though truth be told she did want the damn ice cream. Her pregnancy cravings were on another level these days and she was this close from snatching the bag from Peyton's boney fingers. She had finished off the last of the ice cream in her freezer the night before.

"I'm sorry about earlier Brooke." Peyton apologized once more.

"Yea you said that already." Brooke grumbled. "What's your excuse for forgetting this time?"

"I didn't forget!" Peyton quickly replied. She honestly hadn't. She had just gotten...distracted.

A look of skepticism crossed Brooke's features.

"Honestly! I didn't forget." Peyton defended.

"Then what happened?"

Peyton frowned slightly, her teeth tugged at her bottom lip. Well this was about to get awkward. "I...overslept." She replied settling on that answer.

Brooke's hazel eyes rolled over before speaking dryly. "You overslept? Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Liar."

They'd been best friends for most of their lives which made Brooke a pro at knowing when Peyton wasn't being truthful.

"I was! I was in bed!" Technically she had been in bed the whole time.

Brooke snorted clearly not falling for it. "Have a nice day Peyton." She told the blonde as she moved to shut the front door.

"Okay, okay, okay." Peyton hissed as her arm shot out to prevent Brooke from closing the door.

A small look of satisfaction grazed the brunette's face. "Alright then, let's hear it."

"I lost track of time." Peyton finally admitted.

"Doing what?"

Peyton blew out a breath. Since New Years everyone had been taunting her and Lucas' inability to keep their hands off each other as of late. She couldn't believe she was about to admit this out loud. She would never hear the end of this. "Having sex." She quietly mumbled.

"I'm sorry what was that? I didn't quite hear you there." Brooke playfully mocked.

Peyton frowned fairly certain her friend had heard her just fine the first time. "I was busy having sex okay!"

Brooke scoffed rolling her eyes once more. "Christ don't you two ever come up for air? I mean Lucas can't have that many tricks up his sleeve." She snatched the bag of ice cream from Peyton and went back inside her house.

Peyton followed suit and closed the door behind her. Brooke was already in the kitchen putting the ice cream away with the exception of the one container she left out. She grabbed a spoon and joined Peyton on the couch.

"You don't get any." Brooke announced as she greedily spooned out another bite of ice cream. She hadn't pulled out an extra spoon for Peyton. "I'm still mad at you."

"Fair enough." Peyton replied knowing well enough not to get in between a pregnant Brooke and her dessert. "Where's Julian?"

"He flew down to Atlanta for the day for a meeting. He's in talks about possibly directing a couple of episodes of The Walking Dead next year."

"It's a show about the zombie apocalypse." Brooke immediately explained noticing the blank look Peyton gave. "It's a huge opportunity for Julian. It's the highest rated show on cable television right now."

Peyton nodded. "Oh. Good for him then, that's great."

"Thanks." Brooke replied while she continued to work on her ice cream.

Peyton awkwardly shifted in her seat as she placed her hands on her lap. The room had turned silent after that and the blonde couldn't help but think how weird and tense it felt between the two women. This was pretty much the first time her and Brooke were hanging out solo since the Bakers had moved back. It was obvious that Brooke was still peeved with her, otherwise they would have quickly fallen into a comfortable conversation, as they usually did and not this long and awkward lull of emptiness.

"Hey it's still early, we can go and check out the store if you still want." Peyton offered. Perhaps things would be less awkward if they actively moved around instead of just sitting here.

"No thanks." Brooke said politely. "When you didn't show up again today, I just went ahead and started shopping. I pretty much picked up everything I wanted."

Peyton's face fell. "Oh, sorry."

Brooke curtly nodded.

"Get anything good?"

"Yea I did. I guess I can show you if you want." Brooke offered though she highly doubted Peyton was really all that interested in checking out the baby clothes she'd purchased. Truth be told Peyton hadn't taken much of an interest in her pregnancy.

"Sure."

"C'mon it's in the babies' nursery."

Peyton followed her inside the room. The room was still a work in progress. There were boxes scattered everywhere, but Peyton noticed that the walls had been freshly painted and decorated. "It's looking good." She commented.

Brooke nodded looking around. "It's coming along. Nathan and Haley helped us paint it over the weekend."

"Oh. I didn't know that." A long beat. "You should have asked us too, Lucas and I would have helped."

"I didn't ask them." Brooke corrected. "They just kind of showed up and offered since I couldn't really help Julian much. All the paint fumes make me dizzy."

"Oh."

This just kept getting awkward.

"Well we can definitely help you guys put together all this baby furniture." Peyton quickly offered noticing the unopened box containing the crib, as well as other items that appeared to need assembling. She knew she needed to make it up to Brooke, but there was also that pang of jealousy that had crept up knowing that Haley and Nathan were making her look bad.

"We could use the help." Brooke admitted. There were still a lot of things that needed to be put together. "I'll talk to Julian, figure out a good time."

* * *

After sort of making up with Brooke, Peyton returned home a couple of hours later. Things between them were still weird, but at least they were on speaking terms. Hopefully the awkwardness would pass once they started spending more time together again.

She was already feeling emotionally exhausted from her time with Brooke, only to return home and be welcomed by an equally pissed off Lucas. In her rushed panic to see Brooke this morning, Peyton had forgotten her phone and had failed to check in with Lucas. He had come into the bedroom searching for her only to be met with an empty house and no clue as to where his wife had disappeared off to. She really couldn't blame him for being upset with her. Though to be honest Peyton couldn't quite figure out if Lucas was more upset because she had disappeared without a trace, causing him to worry, or if it was because she had unintentionally left him high and dry in the shower. She had a sneaky suspicion it was the latter based on the fact that when she had question Lucas on it he appeared absolutely baffled for a moment before shrugging off the notion.

Regardless Lucas got over his annoyed state fairly quickly after Peyton had managed to sweet talk him after she had explained the situation with Brooke.

"Does that feel any better?"

"It feels amazing baby." Lucas replied, releasing a steady groan as Peyton's hands continued to work him over.

She was sitting behind him in the living room massaging his back trying to rid him of a knot that had formed right below his shoulder blades. Peyton placed a kiss over the top of his left shoulder, followed by another one over the side of his neck. She sucked down hard on his neck, while her hands continued to work across his back.

Lucas' eyes shut and he released a comfortable sigh. "This is pay back for LA isn't it?" He teased with a huge grin remembering the huge mark he had left behind on her neck and Peyton had been less than pleased.

"Hmmm I have no idea what you're talking about." Peyton coyly responded before biting down hard on his neck. Eventually she abandoned his neck, her lips taking residence at the back of his earlobe instead.

"You owe me a shower." He told her a few minutes later still lost in all the attention he was receiving from her perfectly shaped lips.

Peyton chuckled, her warm breath hitting the spot of skin directly behind his ear. Well that confirmed her suspicions. "I knew it." She whispered. "You are such a guy." She teased him.

"I have needs." He shot back playfully. "Needs you are expected to take care of as my wife."

Peyton laughed again. "Oh is that so?"

"It's in the vows sweetheart." Lucas quickly added making her laugh again.

She silently shook her head while sporting a big smile. Her lips came up to his ear once more. "Well I am due for a shower." She told him in a low voice.

"Oh you don't say?"

"And I think I might need some help getting to those hard to reach places, make sure I'm squeaky clean and all."

Lucas swallowed hard."Oh I can definitely assist you with that." He eagerly stated. "I've been told numerous times that I'm very good with my hands. You will not be disappointed."

"Oh yea by who?"

"My wife."

"Oh you have a wife now?" The blonde feigned her shock.

"Yea, but don't worry she won't mind me lending you a hand or two."

Peyton broke out in laughter. "Well she's far too trusting." She replied through giggles, barely able to hold up this charade any longer.

"Don't you bad mouth my wife." Lucas playfully scolded.

Peyton laughed again, running her hands over Lucas' back one last time. "Go start the shower honey." Her lips fell over his neck again.

"Not a chance. You're coming with. I'm not letting you out of my sight this time."

Before Peyton knew it she was no longer sitting and let out a loud squeal as Lucas' effortlessly tossed her body over his shoulder, both of them laughing as he hurriedly ran them over to the bathroom.

* * *

"So tell me why you decided to come in today Peyton? Our next scheduled session isn't for another two weeks."

Peyton nodded as she looked over at Maya, her new therapist. For some reason she preferred to be addressed by her first name and frankly Peyton kind of liked that they had ditched the formalities. It made talking to Maya a lot more comfortable and less stressful. She had been recommended by Peyton's previous therapist in New York. Along with a new therapist, she had also been referred to another doctor in Charlotte by Dr. Parker for all her other follow-up appointments. She and Lucas had been at the doctor's yesterday and had been given the clear that Peyton's body was still healing nicely, all according to plan. The lack of returning memories had been the only downside, but at this point the couple had made their piece with that. It didn't change anything for them. They were both happy and committed to moving forward. Peyton realized that as time went on and her relationship with Lucas continued to strengthen, those lost memories seemed to matter less and less. They were forming new memories now and they were pretty incredible ones in her opinion. She couldn't get enough of Lucas. She was in so deep that it probably borderlined on obsession. This was the healthiest, strongest, and not to mention happiest relationship she had ever been in, and even better was the fact that Lucas was all hers for the rest of her life. Peyton had to give herself a pat on the back for this one. Marrying Lucas was probably one of the best decisions she had ever made – even if she couldn't remember it.

"Umm yea, sure, okay…" The blonde's gaze dropped down to her hands as she anxiously played with her fingers. "Lucas and I had a conversation the other week. We were spending the day with his brother's kids and then we ended up talking about us having kids someday."

"And do you feel like you're ready to be a mother?"

"No!" Peyton said quickly. She paused. "I mean I dunno…" She eventually added with a shrug. "At least not now."

"And Lucas?"

"He wants them and he also said that I did too. That we were planning on trying to get pregnant this coming summer and honestly it kind of freaked me out a bit."

"Did you talk to him about that?"

"He could tell. He's always good at picking up on my emotions before I even utter a word, but the thing is that I'm kinda starting to pick up on his cues too. He told me that we don't have to decide right now about the kid thing, but I can tell that he wants them. He wants them so badly. I see the way he watches his brother with his kids. Lucas wants what they have and I'd love to think I would be able to give him that someday, but it's just so…hard seeing myself there. It's difficult to picture it."

"What is it that freaks you out about it? Why do you struggle with seeing yourself as mother one day? Is it because your husband still feels like a stranger to you?"

"No, not at all. Lucas feels like…he feels like home. Sure I'm still getting to know him, but he's far from a stranger at this point. He's the most familiar thing I have in my life right now. It's just scary to think about being a mom. I'm an only child, I barely had enough time with my own moms, and my dad was away a lot for work growing up. I don't think I'd be very good at it, the whole parenting thing. I mean I look at my best friend Brooke who's pregnant and I feel…nothing. She looks beautiful, and she's glowing, and she looks really happy, and there's not the slightest maternal instinct kicking inside of me yearning for any of that. And the worst part is that I can't even talk to her about any of this because I don't wanna rain on her parade. She's in a good place and apparently had a few bad years trying to get pregnant. And Lucas is just so confident that I'll change my mind eventually, but what if he's wrong? What would that mean for us down the road?"

"You're afraid of losing him." Maya concluded.

"No." Peyton shook her head. "Lucas…he's just the kind of guy that would accept it and try to move forward because that's how much I know he loves me. I could be selfish right now and say I never want kids and Lucas would just…be there for me…no matter what. I just wonder if he would secretly resent me for it, but honestly the kid part isn't even our biggest issue."

"And what is then?"

"I have a wonderful husband that loves me unconditionally and I haven't been able to get there yet. Every single time Lucas tells me that he loves me and I don't say it back, I can just tell how much it pains him and I feel so guilty. I care about Lucas so much, but I've only known him for three months. My heart just doesn't work that fast. I don't want anyone else but him, and don't get me wrong I'm falling for him more and more each and every day, but…it still scares me giving my heart away to someone new. I've had a lot of people come in and out of my life. I get close to them, and I trust them, and then they just up and leave and never come back. I don't want to love Lucas only to lose him later on and that's kind of my dilemma here." Peyton sighed loudly. "If I don't allow myself to love Lucas completely then I'll lose him. And if I do love him then knowing my luck I'll probably lose him too."

"You don't know that for sure. You're letting your insecurities guide you again."

Peyton blew out a chuckle. "Trust me. My life has never been easy and clear-cut. Something always comes along and fucks things up. People always leave."

* * *

I know this chapter was a little on the short side this time, but it just felt natural to end it there. I hope you guys enjoyed it all the same. Please review and let me know!

Until next time.


	39. I Miss The Way Things Used To Be

Reviews

 **Guest** \- Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad that you're digging the chemistry between those two. It's been a lot of fun building up Leyton to this point and sexy Leyton always makes me happy, lol.

 **thibbs65 –** So yes Peyton's scared of losing Lucas and we'll have to see if there's any truth to that or she's just letting her insecurities control the situation.

 **simplyaprillyn –** Thanks girl! The therapy sessions are a good way to show how much Peyton has grown since the start of this story. Opening up to others has never been easy for her and it's definitely not any easier to do with a therapist.

 **Talz** \- Oh you're right all is still not 100% well between Breyton. You'll get a lot more insight in this chapter.

 **DeTurge** \- Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

 **Guest** – Guess you'll have to keep reading to see if your predictions are correct! Naturally I can't just give it away :P

 **Destiana. Caldin** \- Yes you're right it is good progress for Peyton, and for Lucas as well. Solely relying on those memories returning kind of held their relationship back in the beginning and they're much stronger now that their focus has shifted beyond that.

 **secondstarontheright –** Breyton friendship is the best! I've always hated how it was dragged through the mud constantly on the show. They deserved better and Lucas pretty much didn't deserve either of them because he could never make up his damn mind.

 **Herdawness** \- Peyton seeking out her therapist is a HUGE step. She's definitely maturing emotionally.

 **jordana60 –** Lol, well I appreciate the praise! That stuff isn't always easy to write. And yes Brooke and Peyton are in a difficult spot in their friendship right now. It's not entirely the same kind of friendship they've had for most of their lives where they have constantly supported each other unconditionally. Brooke has been the one doing most of the heavily lifting in their relationship these last months – few which is understandable considering Peyton's fragile state in the aftermath of her accident – but now life has sort of gone back to normal for all of them and Peyton has kind of been neglectful in taking a more active role in their relationship. As for the Naley situation, whether you agree with Haley or not, I think as a mother she just wants the very best for her kids and perhaps that has made her a bit more stubborn in compromising with Nathan at this point – but those are her kids and they'll always come first, and Nathan completely gets where she's coming from. They both want him to be home more, it's just the figuring that out part that's tricky.

* * *

Chapter 39: I Miss The Way Things Used To Be

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2011**_

 _A frustrated Peyton looked up from the table, a bouquet of sunflowers greeting her face. Her lips curved into a smile at the sight of one of her favorite flowers. "What are these for?" She questioned while taking the flowers from Lucas' hand to admire them._

 _"Just because."_

 _"Oooh I love just because flowers." She cooed with an even brighter smile now._

 _"Also, your beautiful." Lucas bent down pressing their lips together for a chaste kiss. He then proceeded to pull out a chair at the kitchen table of their home, sitting down next to his fiancé of nine months now._

 _"Flattery will get you everywhere sir." Peyton teased._

 _"I was counting on it." The blond winked at her and tucked a loose curl behind her ear._

 _"Though the flowers and the compliments only lead me to believe that you're after something." She teased. "Which I couldn't possibly imagine what else you would want from me Lucas Scott. You've already managed to get me to move in with you, tricked me into agreeing to marry you, and you're currently having the best sex of your life. You pretty much have it made."_

 _Lucas roared with laughter._

 _"Hey who said I'm currently having the best sex of my life?" He managed to ask with a straight face once his laughter died down._

 _Peyton sent him a knowing look. "Well you were most certainly singing a different tune in the shower this morning."_

 _A goofy look overtook Lucas' features at the memory of Peyton's body writhing against his own when he had taken her up against the tiled wall of their shower this morning. "You know that reminds me..." He yanked Peyton out of her seat and onto his lap. "I was thinking that we should definitely have an encore performance of this morning later tonight. Does right now work for you? It works for me."_

 _Peyton smiled, her hands worming their way up over his chest before wrapping around his neck. "Sure, but this time it's your turn to get on your knees." She spoke nonchalantly._

 _"Fine by me." His lips then went to her ear and his voice dropped rather low. "I love the taste of you." He added rather seductively._

 _His words made Peyton blush at once and her pulse jump. His lips found her mouth and she instantly melted against them._

 _"The flowers really were just because." Lucas told her after a few minutes of comfortable silence had passed while they held each other lovingly._

 _"I know, thank you honey. They're beautiful. You totally snuck up on me though. I didn't even hear you come home."_

 _"Well your head was buried pretty deep in that planner of yours." Lucas pointed out._

 _Peyton made a face._

 _"Wedding planning I take it?" He stated as he looked around the table. It was scattered with bridal magazines, color schemes, clippings of flower arrangements and a bunch of other things he wasn't going to pretend like he knew what they were for._

 _Peyton groaned unhappily._

 _"You okay?" He had caught the look of frustration on Peyton's face when he had first walked into the kitchen._

 _"I hate planning this wedding." Peyton bluntly stated. Their wedding was nine months away and there were still so many things to take care of. "It's a nightmare." No one had warned her that planning what was meant to be the happiest day of their lives had zero 'funness' attached to it. It was mostly an anxiety causing drag._

 _They both laughed. Both knowing this wasn't the kind of thing Peyton was into. Sure she had planned shows and events countless times, but that never involved picking out color schemes, and fabrics, and centerpieces. That was more of a Brooke thing and thankfully her best friend was excited enough to help, but Brooke couldn't be by her side every minute to plan. She had her own life and career as well._

 _Lucas placed a kiss over her forehead. "I'm sorry." He had been helping Peyton put together their wedding, but recently he'd been too busy to take on the more time-consuming tasks. His first book was finally being released this month and he had been in and out of town promoting the book. The publishing house had a lot of faith that the book was going to do well and so they were pushing his face out there as much as possible. "Anything I could help you with now? I know I've been kind of slacking lately." Luckily Peyton had been understanding about that._

 _Peyton shook her head. "Not tonight. I don't even want to look at this stuff anymore." She replied, reaching out and closing her planner shut. "I'm glad your home. I missed you." Lucas had returned home last night from another one of his work trips._

 _"I missed you too. As exciting as all this is with the book finally coming out, I hate that it means being apart from you so much."_

 _She caressed the side of his face with her left hand. "I'm so proud of you Luke."_

 _Lucas smiled and pressed their lips together. "I love you. I can't wait to make you mine."_

 _"I'm already yours." She told him softly._

 _"Yea, but I can't wait to make it official with the alter, the rings, the vows and all that jazz. Just a few more months." He grinned. One of his hands wandered down to rub her thigh._

 _"Not nearly soon enough." Peyton huffed out the complaint. She honestly couldn't wait until the planning part of the wedding was over._

 _Lucas chuckled. "I'll help more. I promise."_

 _Peyton frowned, pausing in thought before speaking again. "You know what? It's not even that really. I mean don't get me wrong, the planning's a bitch, but I just really want to be your wife already." She admitted. "And that's still nine months away. I hate that it's so far away."_

 _"Our wedding will be here before you know it." He reassured her._

 _The blonde paused in thought again. She looked back up at Lucas, the corner of her mouth slightly curving upwards. "Who says we have to wait?" She questioned with a sparkling glint in her green eyes._

 _Lucas frowned in confusion._

 _"Let's get married right now Lucas." Her face nodded over towards Lucas excitedly. "Like tomorrow."_

 _"Hold up, you wanna ditch the wedding and elope?" Lucas questioned skeptically. "Babe I know for a fact that you want this wedding no matter how much you bitch about planning it."_

 _"Who says the two have to be mutually exclusive?" Peyton reasoned. "We can still have the wedding. Obviously I want my dad to give me away and I want us to celebrate with our family and friends, but why do we have to wait til then to be officially married?" Her hands started to massage his shoulders. "I'm down for a quick trip to the courthouse, what about you? I'll wear a dress and you can put on one of your suits and then we get married. It's just that simple."_

 _Lucas blew out a chuckle. "That simple huh?" He teased._

 _"I wanna be your wife Lucas Scott and I don't see why we should wait. Don't you wanna marry me now?"_

 _"Of course I do. I'd marry you right now in this kitchen if I could."_

 _Peyton smiled pleased with his reply. "So let's just do it."_

 _"We go down to the courthouse?" Lucas confirmed._

 _Peyton nodded. "Uh huh."_

 _"Are you sure about this? I mean it's kind of unromantic right? I want our day to be special. Is this really what you want?" He said slightly frowning._

 _Peyton nodded confidently. "This is what I want. Getting married in front of a judge isn't going to make our day any less special Lucas and plus we'll still have our dream wedding. Only this way I get to be Mrs. Scott a hell of a lot faster."_

 _"Mmmh I do like the sound of that." Lucas admitted. "Mrs. Scott."_

 _"And you get to be Mr. Peyton Sawyer." The blonde teased._

 _Lucas silently shook his head and smiled. "Okay. I'm in."_

 _Peyton happily squealed. "Really?"_

 _Lucas nodded. "Yea, let's do it." He replied and sealed it with a long kiss._

 _"Oh my god I'm so excited." She clapped her hands excitedly before grabbing Lucas' face. "Babe we're getting married."_

 _"We were already getting married." He playfully reminded her._

 _Peyton stuck her tongue out childishly at Lucas._

 _"So when should we do it? Tomorrow?" Lucas asked already feeling a little giddy from the thought._

 _Peyton paused suddenly remembering. "No, not tomorrow. We can get married the day after tomorrow, on Wednesday._ _I already have plans tomorrow._ _"_

 _Lucas chuckled. "More important than getting married? Pray tell what are these plans? I'm curious."_

 _"Nathan, Skills and I are going to that food festival in Wilmington." She grinned. "And there's gonna be a pie eating contest, so you know I'm all over that." She added gently patting her belly. The girl did love her pie._

 _Lucas shook his head in disbelief and laughed. "I swear I don't know where you shove it all. It amazes me." His girl could out eat him most days and she still managed to stay skinny as a pole. "Sometimes it's like you're eating for two." He paused slowly. "Are you eating for two?" He asked while sporting a grin._

 _"No you idiot. I'm not pregnant. I just really like food."_

 _"I mean it wouldn't be the end of the world if you were." He casually added as his hand grazed her flat stomach._

 _Peyton sent him a stern look. "Luke."_

 _"What?" He said innocently._

 _"You promised not to push." She reminded him. It was no secret that Lucas wanted to start a family. He'd been hinting at it several times these past few months since getting engaged and it had only escalated when Haley had announced that she was pregnant with her second child. Peyton on the other hand was less enthusiastic about it. With the exception of Jamie, kids weren't really her thing. Though she did find it amusing that her fiancé had full blown baby fever._

 _"I'm not pushing." Lucas defended, though he certainty wasn't against planting the idea early on. Peyton was stubborn and he knew it would be some time before she warmed up to the idea._

 _"You know how I feel about having kids at this point in time."_

 _"You could change your mind."_

 _"You're right, I could, but when and if I do it's gonna be in my own time. And I've been honest with you from the very start about the whole having kids thing. You promised to respect that. We can't get married if it's gonna become an issue Lucas."_

 _Lucas gently titled her head up by the chin. "Oh we're getting married." He said seriously. "Even if it's just us two for the rest of our lives. There's no one else for me but you Peyton."_

 _Peyton gave him a soft smile. "Promise?"_

 _"Absolutely." Yes he wanted to be a father, but it meant nothing without Peyton by his side. Lucas was willing to let go having kids, but giving up on his life with Peyton was something he wasn't willing to do._

 _"It doesn't mean no you know." Peyton reminded him. She hadn't completely closed the door on the possibility of starting a family. "It just means I need more time to get comfortable with the idea."_

 _Lucas nodded. "For the record you'd be a terrific mother. I don't know why you doubt yourself so damn much."_

 _Peyton shrugged and changed the subject. "Hey how about we just focus on one thing at a time. Like getting married first?" She teased. "Besides I don't know why you're in such a hurry to see me get fat anyway."_

 _He scoffed. "I would hardly call you carrying my child getting fat. Do you have any idea how sexy that is?"_

 _The blonde rolled her eyes. "Oh your child? Not ours? Feels like it should be more mine than yours considering I'd be doing all the heavy lifting for nine months."_

 _"Nope." Lucas playfully popped the p. "Mine. He can be all yours after you give birth. I'll let you take the reins from there."_

 _"Oh hell no, if he's all yours you'll be the one doing all the late night feedings mister."_

 _"Oh that's not possible."_

 _"Says who?" The blonde challenged._

 _"Says my inability to grow breasts to feed our kid."_

 _Peyton's jaw dropped, the comeback taking her completely off guard. She burst out laughing mere seconds later, laughing so hard that tears started to slide down her cheeks._

 _"They have surgery for that you know." She teased after snuggling further into Lucas' chest and pressing her face against his neck._

 _"Well sign me up then." Lucas joked._

 _"Anyway..." Her laughter had finally settled down. "We got wayyy off topic here. I think we have some marriage business to settle first." She reminded him._

 _Lucas pressed Peyton closer to his chest, tightening his arms around her. "So Wednesday then?" He whispered._

 _"Wednesday." Peyton softly repeated confirming._

 _She was getting married on a Wednesday._

 _And as for the having kids part, Peyton ended up getting on board with the idea a lot sooner than either one of them expected. Lydia Scott's birth a few months later would change everything about Peyton's view on motherhood._

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2015**

Peyton smiled down at the photo in her hands. She had pulled it out of one of the numerous boxes in the house that contained their pictures. It was the one of her and Lucas smiling brightly outside the steps of the courthouse right after they had just been married by a judge. Their marriage anniversary was coming up at the end of the month, still a few weeks away since March had just kicked off. When Lucas had informed her of the date they had officially married, Peyton had made a note of it and as the date got closer she was really looking forward to celebrating their fourth year together as a married couple. It was kind of exciting. Their third wedding anniversary had been back in December, but at that point in time they had still been in a weird place after LA and Lucas hadn't even brought it up. It wasn't until later that Peyton learned of the passing date and so she wanted to make sure that this anniversary went off without a hitch. They hadn't decided on what they were doing just yet, but what Peyton did know was that it had to be perfect.

"Hey there beautiful." Lucas greeted as he walked through the front door of their home.

"Hi." Peyton returned the greeting as Lucas approached.

"Whatcha got there?" He asked noticing the picture in her hands.

She held it up for him. "I just really like this picture. Do you mind if I take it? I wanna frame it and put it on my desk at work."

"Sweetheart you don't have to ask me for permission. Those pictures belong to you just as much as they do to me." He reminded her.

Peyton nodded. "Just making sure it was okay."

"These are for you." A small bouquet of sunflowers appeared from behind Lucas' back. He had just finished his morning run and had stopped by the florist on the way back home.

"Oooh!" Peyton smiled as she reached for her gift. "My favorite, I love them! Thank you honey." She leaned up placing a quick peck on his lips. "What's the occasion?"

Lucas shrugged. "No occasion, just because."

"Well for the record I'm kind of totally digging the whole 'just because' flower giving. Keep them coming loverboy." She patted his shoulder approvingly.

Lucas chuckled. "I had a feeling you would approve." He kissed her again. "What time is Haley picking you up tomorrow morning?" He questioned while making his way around Peyton to kick off his running shoes.

"Early, around six I think. We want enough time to get settled into Jacksonville before the show tomorrow night." The girls were road tripping it to Florida for the weekend to check out a potential new artist for the label. "I should be here with you though." Peyton pouted wishing they could have postponed the trip to Jacksonville for next weekend instead. This weekend was important. In addition to March being the month when they got married, it also held another date of great significance, Lucas' 28th birthday, which was this Sunday.

"It's fine babe." Lucas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest. His skin was still slightly damp and heated from his run.

"But it's your birthday." Peyton argued. "I should be here to celebrate."

"Yea, but you guys will be back by Sunday morning right?"

Peyton nodded. Haley had promised her that they wouldn't miss Lucas' birthday. They planned to be back in Tree Hill by breakfast.

"Then you won't miss a thing. We'll still get to be together on my birthday."

"But– "

"Peyton, it's fine, honestly. You guys have been trying to sign this guy for over a year now. You and Haley have to go, it's probably your last chance. I get it okay?" He reassured her.

The artist they were trying to sign was a Jacksonville local. His name was Eric Matherson, an incredibly talented musician with this unique classic rock sound that had blown both Haley and Peyton away when a video clip of him performing with his guitar fell into their hands. The problem was that Eric was overly protective of his sound and therefore highly wary of big record label types. He had already been approached by a few and had turned away every last one of them the minute they had suggested tweaking his sound around. By the time Peyton and Haley had reached out to him, he was adamant about not wanting to meet with anymore labels and it took practically a year to convince him that Red Bedroom Records was the small label he had been searching for thanks to Haley's committed pestering. Last week Eric had finally caved inviting them to come out to one of his small venue gigs taking place tomorrow night – though he probably really only extended the invitation to get Haley off his back since he made no promises about signing with them. The plan was to see the show on Friday night and then get together with Eric the next day to talk business. If all went according to plan they'd have him on board by the time they left Jacksonville on Saturday night. This meeting was kind of a big deal and the girls knew that under no circumstances could they fuck this up. The mission was clear.

"I still feel bad." She frowned.

Lucas placed a kiss on the side of her cheek. "Don't. My girl and my best friend are gonna kick some serious ass and come back home with a new musician in their back pocket. And besides when you get back you can make it up to me with lots of hot sex. I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday." He grinned.

Peyton chuckled. She turned around in Lucas' arms to face him ,still clutching the flowers he had given her. "Are you sure you're cool with this?"

"Of course I am. I'm proud of you Peyt and I won't let this opportunity pass you by because of me. The label has worked way too hard to let this chance slip by."

Peyton sighed slowly. "Okay." She reluctantly agreed. Honestly she was excited about the work trip, but it didn't make leaving Lucas any easier. "But I'll be back first thing Sunday morning, I promise. We'll spend the whole day just the two of us doing whatever you want, okay?"

"Sounds perfect baby." His lips eagerly slanted over hers effectively putting a halt on the conversation.

* * *

"Thanks for having us over. This has been fun." Haley spoke as her and Brooke sat out on the deck of Brooke and Julian's beach house keeping a watchful eye on Jamie and Lydia, who were playing in the sand. Jamie was trying to teach Lydia how to build a sandcastle and was failing miserably. Little Lydia just didn't have the patience. Haley took a long sip of the red wine in her hand, licking her lips afterwards. "This is really good wine by the way." She commented.

"Of course, you know I'm always happy to have you guys over." Brooke replied. "And you're much better company than Julian." The brunette joked. She had kicked her husband out of the house today so that she could have a girls day with Haley.

Haley giggled already starting to feel slightly buzzed from her second glass of wine. "Why thank you. I'd like to think that I'm pretty awesome."

Brooke smiled. It was kind of amazing how far her and Haley had come. In high school they never interacted much. Brooke just knew her as tutor girl or Nathan's girlfriend, and Haley absolutely hated Brooke and her snobby persona at the time. It wasn't until Lucas and Peyton got together after college that the two were forced to hangout for the first time. By then Brooke had long ditched the girl she had been in high school, but of course Haley hadn't know that and she still held a high level of animosity towards the brunette. They got off to a rocky start, but eventually a true friendship was formed and now neither of the women could imagine their lives without the other. Even though Peyton was Brooke's best friend, Haley James Scott was a pretty close second. She was a confidant to Brooke just as much as Peyton was – though lately it felt like she couldn't talk to Peyton at all.

"So...I couldn't help but notice that Peyton's not here." Haley cautiously decided to bring up the subject. This was supposed to be a girls day yet a core member of their trio was missing in action. "Could she not make it?"

Brooke scoffed and brought her drink up to her lips. She was drinking a virgin piñ a colada that was tasty enough, but would be a hell of a lot tastier if there was alcohol in it. Boy did she miss drinking. For years now she had always ended her day with a glass of wine and that had been hard to give up since the pregnancy, and she still had two more months to go. "Peyton's not here because I don't really feel like seeing her right now." She answered. There was a bit of disdain in those words.

"Okay what in the world is going on between you two? Haley asked setting her wine glass down. "Because I also couldn't help but notice how terribly awkward things were last night during dinner." Last night with Nathan being back in town, Haley had invited the other two couples over for dinner. And even though it was never openly addressed, everyone at the dinner table had picked up on the tension between the blonde and the brunette. Even Jamie at one point looked back and forth between his two aunts looking fairly confused because even the nine-year-old could sense that something was off.

Brooke remained silent.

"Are you guys not speaking?" Haley inquired.

Brooke sighed heavily. "We're speaking. Hardly, but yes words are being exchanged. You know whenever Peyton and her flat ass can manage to squeeze in the time to grace me with her presence."

"Uh oh." Haley mumbled knowing that didn't sound good at all. "Brooke, seriously, what is going on?"

Brooke's head dropped down releasing another sigh, but this time it was overloaded with sadness and despair. Haley watched her friend struggle to keep her composure as her bottom lip violently quivered, while her chest heaved, failing to hide back the loud sob that escaped her throat.

Haley's face fell in concern. "Oh Tigger what's wrong?" She questioned scooting closer and clasping a hand over Brooke's. It was obvious that something was heavily weighing the brunette down.

Brooke rapidly shook her face still refusing to breakdown. "I'm sorry, I do that sometimes. It's just pregnancy hormones that's all." She wiped the moisture under her eyes as she tried to regain her composure. "Don't mind me. I'm just being silly." She waved it off.

"I think it's a lot more than just hormones Brooke." Haley spoke sympathetically. She took another quick glance making sure the kids were okay before turning back to Brooke. "C'mon you can talk to me." She encouraged.

Brooke's sad eyes fell to the floor. "It's just that...Peyton doesn't really seem to care at all." She swallowed hard as she struggled to push those words out.

Haley slowly shook her head, her eyes narrowed down not quite understanding. "What are you talking about? Of course Peyton cares about you."

"No she doesn't, at least not lately." Brooke sniffled. "It's like I don't even matter."

"I'm sure that's not true." Haley rubbed at Brooke's upper arm consolingly.

"She never calls to check up on me and she never comes around to see me since I moved back. You know she hasn't asked me not once how I'm doing with the pregnancy or how the babies are doing? Not once."

Haley pressed her lips together in worry. She hadn't known that.

"I mean I know she's all in this blissed out stage with Lucas, but I just don't understand why it's so hard for her to be there for me too. Why can't she just be here for me Haley? I've been there for her throughout this whole mess and I feel like now that she has Lucas, it's like she doesn't need me anymore. Yet she still expects me to come running when she needs me, but she really hasn't been around when I need her. I just don't understand any of it."

"I'm sure it's not what you think."

"And let's not forget that she's barely done any of the planning for the baby shower. She has zero interest in it."

"She's...helped." Haley defended.

Brooke scoffed. "Barely. You've done pretty much everything when you're not even supposed to and you know it Haley."

Haley fell silent.

"She's changed with me. She's different. The old Peyton would have never been like this. She cried with me when the doctors said I wouldn't be able to have a baby. She held my hand and told me not to give up, that I would get my baby somehow. Back then she would have been so excited about this pregnancy. She would have dragged me out go baby shopping and encourage me to blow my money on all the useless baby stuff I'll never really need, but had to get just because it looked so darn cute...and I was really looking forward to all that. I was looking forward to bonding with my best friend during my pregnancy."

Brooke wiped away her loose tears.

"I mean you call me all the time asking how I feel and if I need anything. I'm not saying I'm some helpless thing here, but you're doing what a friend is supposed to do. And I'm not saying I don't appreciate you Haley because I do. You're one of my closest friends too, a best friend really, but Peyton...she's _my_ Peyton...except it doesn't really feel like she's mine anymore. I get that she doesn't remember a lot of things and it's hard on her, but I keep feeling like that accident took away my best friend and I might never get her back. I don't know what to do Haley. I feel like I can't even really talk to her anymore. It's a weird feeling. It shouldn't be like this."

"I'm so sorry Brooke, I had no idea. I could talk to her if you want? Try to clear the air?" Haley offered. "It's probably just one big misunderstanding between you two."

Brooke immediately shook her head. "No, please don't. It's not fair to put you in the middle of this and plus Peyton's a big girl. We shouldn't be holding her hand anymore like we did in the beginning and maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe she's gotten too comfortable with us just making everything too easy for her benefit. I can't do that kind of friendship anymore Haley...I can't always be the one to pick up the pieces. I've gotta take care of me too. Whenever it is that Peyton decides she wants to be invested in this friendship, well I can't guarantee that I'll still be around enough to care."

Haley nodded in understanding. "I really still think you should talk to her Brooke. Don't let this get worse between you. You guys have been friends way too long to not be able to talk this out."

"Haley, don't you think I would've by now if I felt like I could?"

* * *

 **Jacksonville, Florida – March 2015**

Peyton drummed her fingers against the small table where she sat alone at near the stage. Eric, the musician they were trying to sign had just finished his first set of the night and Haley had ran off to the bar to refill their drinks in the meantime.

She felt her phone buzz in her purse and pulled it out. It was Lucas. "Hey you."

"Hey I'm sorry I missed your call. My phone died and then I was busy most of the day helping Skills coach the Ravens. This is the first chance I got to charge it."

"That's fine Luke. I had just called earlier to let you know that Haley and I got to Florida okay."

"Good. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No he's not playing right now, so I can talk for a bit."

"How's it going so far?"

"So amazing! God Lucas he's even more amazing to hear live. The Youtube videos don't do him justice." Peyton gushed. "We want him on the label so badly."

"I have no doubt you guys will deliver. You two are an unstoppable force."

"Well at least one of us has faith." She muttered. They were meeting with Eric tomorrow afternoon to talk business. "I don't know if I'm ready for this Luke. I keep thinking maybe Haley should have brought one of the other more experienced staff instead."

"Hey don't sell yourself short. You've got this babe." Lucas reassured her.

"Thanks." She said quietly. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Nothing much. Just got home and heated up some leftovers. Will probably just watch some ESPN before bed. Not a very exciting Friday night I know, comes with age I guess."

"Well you are getting pretty old." Peyton joked and she could hear Lucas chuckle over the line in response.

"Hey so what are you wearing by the way?" He said after a beat.

"Lucas!" Peyton scolded into the phone with wide eyes. "I'm in a crowded bar right now, we can't do _that_ right now."

"Are you wearing the skirt?" Lucas questioned completely ignoring her previous comment.

Peyton frowned confused. "What skirt?"

"The skirt you aren't allowed to wear when I'm not around." He clarified.

"I mean I'm wearing A skirt." She answered.

"The dark green one?"

"Uh yea..."

"Yea that's exactly the one I'm talking about." It was this really short tight thing that always made Lucas' tongue roll right out of his mouth every time his wife strutted around in it. Her legs went on for days in that thing. It drove him absolutely crazy.

Peyton paused. "Wait a minute how did you even know that?"

"I snooped around your suitcase while you were still packing." Lucas shamelessly confessed. "And if you're wearing that skirt it means you're wearing that black lace thong you also packed."

Peyton scoffed. "Wow I never realized how creepy you are." She quipped. "You don't have some kind of weird underwear fetish I don't know about do you?"

"Only with the slutty kind." He teased.

He heard her scoff again.

"You're wearing the thong aren't you?" He accused in a smug tone.

"Maybe...how would you know that anyway?" She poorly deflected.

"You're a creature of habit babe and we've been together for almost six years now. I've got what type of underwear you wear with certain outfits down to a science by this point." Lucas boasted.

"Whatever you say creeper."

"Do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Make sure you have some slutty underwear on when you come home Sunday morning. Actually I wouldn't be against you wearing the skirt again too."

Peyton felt her face go red immediately. "Lucas." She mumbled out. "You can't say things like that to me over the phone."

"Why not?" He replied teasingly.

"Because I miss you and after this I have to go share a hotel room with Haley and not you." She mumbled unhappily.

Lucas chuckled. "I miss you too. But hey if you had the hotel room all to yourself tonight what would you do instead? Would you be thinking about me while you laid in bed alone? Maybe your hands would start to wander all on their own?"

Her skin felt hotter. "I'm hanging up now." She said quickly. The last thing she needed to be was turned on during the second half of Eric's show.

"Oh c'mon! I already know tonight all I'm gonna do is keep picturing you in that skirt and thong. What color is your bra by the way?"

"Nope. Not doing this right now and besides Haley will be back any second from the bar."

"Ruin my fun why don't you." Lucas mumbled in disappointment.

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"O-kay."

"Bye honey, miss you."

"Miss you too."

Peyton ended the call and slipped the phone back inside her purse. Haley reappeared with their drinks right at that moment.

"Lucas?" Haley assumed as she slipped back into her chair and slid Peyton's gin and tonic across the table.

"Yup. Just letting him know we got in okay."

Haley nodded. "You two have been pretty solid lately." She commented after a beat. "It's really great to see. It reminds me a lot of when you two first got together. It's like no one else exists when you two are in the same room. It's really sweet and I'm really happy that you guys managed to work things out. I know it hasn't been easy letting Lucas in and there's no doubt been some bumps along the way."

"I'm lucky to have him." The blonde stated before taking a sip of her cocktail. "Everything's really good between us and it just keeps getting better."

"I'm so glad to hear that Peyton. Lucas loves you so much. You're his everything. When you got into that accident he was so lost...broken even. It was like his whole world just fell of its axis. I don't think that man can function without you, so thank you for giving him an honest chance. For giving your relationship an honest chance. Lucas is my best friend and all I want is for him to be happy. For the both of you to be happy together." Haley soon laughed. "Oh god I just totally made this night all sappy and lovely dovey didn't I?" She joked and brought her glass to her lips. "Sorry."

Peyton shook her head. "Don't be. I like that you're protective of Lucas, don't get me wrong at first when I was still getting to know you it was a little off-putting..."

Haley chuckled. "I scared you didn't I?" She knew she could be a little intense sometimes, especially when it came to the people she loved.

"Try terrifying." Peyton replied without skipping a beat making both women laugh out. "But now that I know the kind of person you are, I love that Lucas has someone so strong watching his back. You're a good friend Haley James Scott and Lucas is lucky to have you. I'm lucky to have you. You've been really great helping me settle back into work and life in general, so thank you."

Haley smiled and held up her drink. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Peyton repeated as their glasses clinked together.

"So speaking of husbands...how are things with Nathan right now? Any better?" Peyton questioned in a hopeful tone. "You guys seemed better at dinner the other night."

Haley blew out another breath and took another swig of her drink. "I mean we're still stuck in whatever you wanna call it, nothing's been resolved." She admitted. "But he's only home for a few days and I didn't wanna spend them fighting. So to be honest we really haven't done much talking lately..."

Peyton noticed the hue of pink that suddenly grazed Haley's cheeks. "Haley James Scott you dog you." She grinned widely giving Haley a playful nudge of the shoulder. "Good for you dude."

Haley did a poor job of suppressing a smile and simply shook her head. "I know it's not the most productive way to settle our issues at the moment, but...I think we're both just kind of burnt out and tense."

"And what a better way to release that tension huh?" The blonde wiggled her eyebrows for extra effect.

"Shut up." Haley mumbled slightly embarrassed.

"Oh no you don't. You guys are constantly ragging on me and Lucas. It's my turn now."

Haley rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.

Peyton propped an elbow over the table and rested the side of her face against her hand as she leaned in closer towards Haley. "So how long have you and Nathan been married now?"

"It'll be ten years in July." Haley spoke incredulously hardly believing it herself. The years had flown by.

"Wow, that's pretty amazing."

Haley nodded in agreement. "It sure is." She knew how truly lucky she was too. In the ten years they had been married her love for Nathan had never faltered. That man was her other half and they had a pretty good life together.

"So ten years of married life right?"

"Yup."

Peyton leaned in a little closer. "And the sex is still good?" Her voice dropped so no one could overhear.

Haley laughed in shock. "Peyton are you seriously asking me that?"

Peyton shrugged. "I'm curious...I mean ten years is a long time...it's never gotten boring or repetitive or you know...egh? C'mon you gotta give me something, I need to know what I'm in for."

"Oh my god I can't believe I'm telling you this..." Haley began making Peyton grin and squeal instantly. "It's still really good actually."

"Really?"

Haley nodded. "Yea I mean all couples go through a dry spell every now and then, it's not unheard of. Is the sex absolutely mind blowing every single time? No and that's totally normal too, but most of the time it's still pretty great and we try to spice it up every now and then. Also the fact that Nathan's away a lot during basketball season kind of reinvigorates the sex between us since we try to make up for lost time. The distance kind of makes the need stronger."

"Lots of phone sex then huh?"

Haley blushed. "I'm not answering that." She replied while avoiding eye contact.

"Trust me you kinda just did."

The response only served to make Haley feel and look absolutely mortified.

"Okay MOVING on..." She began eager to move away from the topic at hand. "So I hope you don't think I'm overstepping here, but I kind of feel the need to check in with you about Brooke."

Peyton swallowed hard. "What about Brooke?" She innocently questioned.

"You know damn well what I'm taking about. Everyone at dinner the other night got a whiff of the tension between you two."

Peyton's shoulders sagged and she sighed. "It's fine, really. We're not fighting or anything, it's just weird between us right now. She's just upset that I've ditched her a couple of times to go baby shopping, which was never intentional and I've apologized. I'm trying to make it up to her."

"Are you sure that's all it is?" Haley pressed for more details.

Peyton paused."Why? Unless you've already talked to Brooke about this? Is she saying something different?"

"No." Haley quickly replied. "I haven't talked to Brooke about it." She lied not wanting to throw Brooke under the bus, just like she wouldn't be telling Brooke that she had talked to Peyton about it too. She wasn't trying to take sides here. "It's just weird between you guys, ya know?

"I know, I know." Peyton slowly nodded releasing another heavy sigh. "Listen when I first woke up from my coma Brooke was the only person I knew out of everyone besides Nathan. So I clung to her because she was the one who knew me the very best, you know before I was able to let Lucas in. My mindset was still kind of stuck in the past and I guess I just hoped that everything would stay that way. But the more time passes the more disconnected I feel sometimes from everyone, especially Brooke. She's got this whole other life that I know nothing about and I used to be the only person in the entire world that knew every little thing about my best friend and now...I'm not. I don't always understand what she's been through or how she got to where she is now. I mean Brooke's still Brooke. She's kind, and fun, and loyal, and dramatic, and stubborn, and a little selfish and childish, but she's also different from what she used to be to me. Sometimes I feel like Brooke, and really all you guys, are up here at this place where you pretty much have everything figured out and meanwhile I still feel like I'm down here. I'm stuck being nineteen and I'm struggling to catch up to you guys. And honestly it's not the greatest feeling in the world. It makes me feel like a loser. Like a failure."

"You shouldn't feel like that Peyton. You're doing the best you can and you've come a long way. We're not better than you."

"I know that...but it's hard to push past the feeling even though I know better. Brooke's _my_ Brooke you know? But sometimes it's hard. I don't know how to be a friend to her now when we're both in such different places in our lives. I don't even know how to related to her being pregnant. I'm happy for her, but it's hard to know how I'm supposed to act."

"Peyton you just gotta be the friend you've always been. The girl that's always been there for her best friend no matter what. I mean look at you and me. I'd like to think we've grown really close again and you didn't need to remember the past for that to happen."

"Yea, but it's different. You and I don't have the same kind of history that I have with Brooke. We became friends after Lucas and I got together right?"

Haley nodded.

"And because of that I don't really feel pressured to be the person you remember as much. I feel like I can be who I am right now and that's enough, but it's harder with Brooke. I've known her forever and I want to be a good friend to her. I want be the friend she remembers me as and not let her down, and yet somehow I've still managed to do that. I've been so wrapped up in Lucas that I know I've been neglectful, but if I'm being completely honest I guess a part of me has been avoiding it too. I'm scared. There's nothing worse than being disconnected from your best friend and not knowing how to really fix it."

"Well you can start by telling her exactly what you just told me." Haley suggested. "She probably has no idea how you really feel. It might help."

"You want me to tell my very pregnant friend that I'm scared to be myself around her? Somehow I don't think that's gonna end well." Peyton teased.

Haley chuckled. "Just talk to her Peyton. Holding back is only going to drive a further wedge between you two."

Peyton blew out a defeated breath. "I know."

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2015**

Peyton's lips curved into a smile the second Haley's vehicle turned onto her street. As the car slowed to a stop, her green orbs widened in delight, a surge of elation overtook her body upon noticing that Lucas was already on the porch waiting for her. He was still in his sleepwear with a mug of coffee in one hand and reading the newspaper – no doubt the sports section – with the other.

"Here we are." Haley spoke with a knowing smile. Since the trip from Jacksonville to Tree Hill was almost a seven hour drive, the girls had hit the road late last night after midnight taking advantage of the nearly empty highway to gain time. With the loud sounds of energetic music, lots of coffee, laughter, and still feeding off the high from winning Eric over to their side, they managed to keep each other awake as they took turns driving all night long.

From the porch Lucas looked up from his newspaper and grinned. He set the paper aside, waving at the car before standing up.

"Guess that's your cue huh?" Haley teased.

Peyton turned her face towards Haley. "You're not coming in to say hello?" It was Lucas' birthday and Haley was his best friend after all. "We could all have breakfast together."

Haley shook her head. "Nah, I think it's pretty obvious I am not the cause behind that goofy grin on Luke's face right now. Pretty sure he just wants you all to himself right now and I'm pretty sure so do you."

Peyton's pressed her together lips into a tight smile, her cheeks burning slightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'll call him with the kids later, besides we're still on for Luke's birthday dinner at my place tomorrow night right?"

Peyton nodded confirming. "Yup, then drinks, cake and dancing at Tric." She added proudly.

"Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then."

The blonde nodded again and unclipped her seatbelt.

"Hey Peyton, you were great out there this weekend. You kicked ass."

Peyton shrugged. "I didn't do much. You handled most of the business talk."

"Are you kidding? I couldn't have done this without you! I may have gone over all the technical stuff, but you spoke from the heart." Haley reminded her.

During the middle of their meeting with Eric yesterday, he had point-blank asked them why they wanted him so damn should he sign with them when he was perfectly happy singing in dive bars for the rest of his life? To him it wasn't about the money or the fame. And that's when Peyton spoke up. She fell into this heartfelt speech, the immense passion and love she had for music radiating off her tongue with each word that passed through her lips as she explained how music had changed her life time and time again. Growing up music had been her savior, getting her through some pretty difficult periods of her life. The blonde strongly believed that she wouldn't be who she was without it and that's exactly why she was doing this. She wanted to be part of a movement. She wanted to be part of that one perfect song that would be able to touch and lift that lonely or really confused kid out there when they needed it most. She wanted to – no she needed to get music out there that would save someone's life, just like it had saved hers once upon a time. And Peyton believed that Eric's music needed – no it deserved to be part of that. It was meant to be life-changing.

Up until then Haley was doubting that they'd be able to convince Eric to sign with them. The entire meeting he had been stubborn and skeptical about everything they were offering the singer. But by the time Peyton had finished her speech, Haley knew they had finally nailed him. The whole time Peyton had spoken, Haley watched his face soften, a small smile overtake his lips as he watched Peyton with wide eyes quite literally spill her heart to him. In the end it was Peyton who had made it happen not her. Eric had agreed to sign with them. The paperwork would be drawn later this week.

"He's signing with us because of you Peyton. Because of your words. You should be proud, I know I am. There's a reason why you're the founder and owner of this label and you just proved it again yesterday."

Peyton's face beamed, her cheeks flushed from the praise. "Thank you Haley." She said softly. She had been back to work at the label for almost two months and the adjustment had been difficult to say the least. Most days Peyton felt like she was screwing up or slowing down the work they did at the label, but this weekend was the first time she had actually felt useful. She felt confident and unstoppable - and more importantly right where she belonged. This is what she was meant to do. "That means a lot to me. It really does."

"I'm only telling you the truth and now it's time you finally start believing it. I know it hasn't been easy relearning the ropes again, but you are good at your job Peyton. Don't you doubt that for a second okay?"

Peyton silently nodded. "I'll try."

Haley smiled. "Good." She reached over squeezing Peyton's hand. "Anyway I better get going because all I want is my bed right now. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have fun." She added with a devious wink.

After exiting the car with her things, Peyton made her way towards the house. Lucas was still standing there patiently waiting and the second their eyes make contact a bolt of excitement rushes through her and she breaks into a sprint the rest of the way, carelessly dumping her things on the porch before jumping into Lucas' strong arms. He catches her with ease as her legs expertly wrap around his waist.

She's grinning from ear to ear, their noses pressed up against each other before she finally shifts her lips forward and pulls him into a kiss that feels like they haven't seen one another for months.

"Happy Birthday honey." Peyton mummers against Lucas' lips after their long heated kiss finally ends.

"Thank you baby." Lucas replies. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back." She admits and makes no move to lower her legs to the floor, which seemed to be just fine with Lucas since his grip on her had yet to falter, keeping her close. "I missed you."

He pressed their lips together. "Same here beautiful."

"So birthday boy what do you wanna do first? Breakfast? I can make some birthday French toast, only slightly burnt." She teased.

"Later. Bed first." His lips formed a devilish grin. "I believe I was promised lots of hot birthday sex first." The blond added before placing a chaste kiss on both sides of her neck, one after another.

"Hmmm I don't recall making any sort of promises like that." Peyton teased.

Another kiss was planted on her neck making Peyton giggle. "Well I'm sure I can manage to jog your memory somehow."

"Is that so birthday boy?"

"Positive. Best to get a head start." His hand squeezed one of her ass cheeks through the jeans she wore.

"Wait, wait!" Peyton laughed when Lucas wasted no time in trying to get her inside the house. "My bags." She pointed out as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"We can get them later." Lucas hurriedly replied refusing to release Peyton.

"Hold up you goof. At least grab the shopping bag over there and trust me when I say that you won't be disappointed."

"What's in the bag?" He questioned with peaked interest. "A birthday present perhaps?"

"Well I may have been able to squeeze in some shopping during this trip." Peyton replied deciding to play it coy. "And I may or may not have slipped into one of those stores that may or may not sell very tasteful undergarments."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, while his lips sort of did this sexy half smile thing. He was most certainly invested in the contents of that shopping bag now. "How tasteful are we talking here?"

"The slutty kind."

"Exactly how slutty?" He managed to choke out while his mind raced with all the possibilities.

Her pink lips aimed for his ear. "Very slutty." She whispered. "Does that work for you?"

"Oh that most definitely works." Lucas gruffed.

In the blink of an eye the shopping bag was in Lucas' hand and he resumed carrying Peyton inside their home.

* * *

So the last chapter was a little on the short side, while this one was nice and long. The muse was strong with me this past week while writing. Personally this has been one of my favorite chapters I've written in a while, so I'm dying to know what you all thought! Please let me know.

Next up: You guys will get a little Breyton flashback.

Until next time!


	40. Just When Did You Get Here?

Reviews

 **Annie** \- Hey there stranger! And here I thought you had abandon me, lol jk. Glad you're loving the Leyton. Enjoy it while you still can, sadly this story is almost coming to an end! :(

 **secondstarontheright –** I'm also loving this whole honeymoon stage. It's been really fun to write in both the present and flashbacks! Writing the Breyton stuff however is less fun (because I love those two so much), but it's a necessary part of Peyton's journey that I feel should be explored. Thanks girl!

 **Guest** \- Thanks for reviewing!

 **Chilarie07** \- It was a indeed a nice win for Peyton in the last chapter! Before the accident Peyton was a much more confident character and obviously more secure in both her personal and professional life, but she's slowly gaining that back. Music has always been her first love so it's definitely still important for her to have that. Thanks for reading!

 **Talz** \- Lol nosy Haley is kind of a must at this point! She wants to see her favorite two girls back together again.

 **Tpassions** \- Glad to hear you're not turned off by Peyton and Brooke's current issues. Hope you continue to enjoy what's to come.

 **Guest** \- The girls do need to talk. We'll see whether or not they decided to take Haley's advice to heart.

 **jordana60 –** It does really suck for Luke being stuck in this limbo on the whole having kids issue. Though Peyton's the one with the memory loss, he's lost just as much as she has in their situation. It's a whole new relationship that's being built and it's obviously not easy for him to have to let go of the things they once had. And Peyton gets that more now that they're closer as opposed to first waking up when she behaved a bit more selfish and insensitive, but as much as she trusts Lucas it's still a bit scary and overwhelming for her to give herself completely to someone new. This is Peyton we're talking about after all, lol!

 **simplyaprillyn -** Always happy to hear how much you're loving the story. Thanks girl!

 **thibbs65** \- There's a tiny bit of Naley in this chapter actually!

 **Guest** \- Agreed, there wasn't enough Paley on the show as there should have been.

* * *

Chapter 40: Just When Did You Get Here?

Lucas Scott couldn't complain.

The last few days had been wonderful. It had been a really good birthday this year. They had spent the whole day together just the two of them. Most of the morning they had celebrated in bed along with all the neat little pieces of lingerie that Peyton kept pulling out from that shopping bag. And of course Lucas couldn't resist making her model each item for him, one by one, and he had most certainly taken his time helping her slip off each one of those items one by one. When the couple finally left the warm sheets of their bed they headed into town for brunch. After that they walked along the river walk hand in hand, slightly tipsy from the numerous glasses of Bloody Mary's they had consumed along with their food. They walked for a bit before perching themselves on one of the benches facing the Cape Fear River, their lips permanently molded to each other the whole time. Honestly it made Lucas feel like a silly teenager again, just sitting out there in broad daylight making out with Peyton in public without a care in the world and he liked it. He welcomed the feeling. It gave him a rush he hadn't felt since when they first got together all those years ago. That insatiable need and passion they had for each other that eventually led them down the path of falling in love. Lucas only wondered how much longer before Peyton was able to love him like she did before. His heart ached to hear her repeat those three simple little words that were actually far from simple.

The next day Peyton had surprised him with a dinner party at Haley and Nathan's, inviting all of their friends to celebrate. The dinner was followed by a night out a Tric and despite it being a Monday night the whole gang partied the night away right up until closing time. If that wasn't already enough, the day after that Nathan had offered some last minute courtside seats and so the couple drove to Charlotte for the night to see Nate play. So yea Lucas really couldn't complain. It had been a good birthday and he had celebrated to the fullest with his family and friends.

"Morning." Lucas announced his presence after stepping into the kitchen. He's fresh from his morning shower, a towel still wrapped around his waist. He watched Peyton, who's already dressed for the day, pour herself a cup of coffee. While she's busy fixing her coffee to taste, he's busy admiring the way the dark skinny jeans she wore today really compliment her backside. He's tempted to reach out and playfully smack her ass, maybe even give it a good squeeze too, but that usually leads to certain activities that require far less clothing and since Peyton's already dressed he knows that they probably don't have much time left before she heads out of the house for the day.

Peyton turned around and leaned up against the counter. "Morning." She chirped before bringing the steaming mug in her hands up to her face. Her lips pout slightly and she blows into her cup, trying to cool down the hot beverage to a reasonable drinking temperature. "How'd you sleep?" The blonde questions as she steps to the side allowing her husband to maneuver himself around the coffee maker so that he can pour himself a cup as well.

"Not bad, but would have been better if I hadn't woken up alone." Lucas teases. Peyton had been noticeably absent from bed by the time he had rolled over and opened his eyes this morning. He must have really been knocked out since he hadn't felt her stir at all. "How come you got up so early today?" It was barely 7:30. This was normally the time that Peyton was just starting to climb out of bed to get ready for work.

"I wanna stop by Haley's before work."

"What for?"

"Well you know how I got to work with Mia all by myself in the studio yesterday?"

Lucas nodded.

"Well we cut this demo of a song Haley wrote for Mia a few weeks back. I emailed the track to Haley last night to get her thoughts, but I still haven't heard anything back yet."

"And you just can't wait can you?"

Peyton grinned and shook her head. "Nope. I'm just dying to know what she thinks! I'm just a little nervous too. I haven't recorded anything without Haley there so...I just hope she likes it. I mean I think it's pretty good and Mia loved it."

"I'm sure it's great Peyt." Lucas rubbed the side of her arm to soothe her nerves.

Peyton nodded. "Yea I think so too." She replied exposing a little more confidence in her speech this time around.

"I'm gonna go get dressed. Are you still gonna be here?" He wondered.

Peyton shook her head. "No I'm just about to head out once I finish my coffee."

"Okay, I'll see you later then. Have a good day baby."

Peyton tilted her head up as Lucas leaned in to kiss her. She was expecting a sweet and tender goodbye kiss, but he surprised her with a more aggressive approach this morning, his lips slamming down over hers. His tongue immediately teased itself across her lips, coaxing them open so that he could slip in and ravage the inside of her mouth. She was left breathless by the time he ripped his mouth away from hers. "You too." She barely managed to whisper out, still heavily panting in the aftermath of that kiss that left her wanting so much more. Kissing Lucas never got old. For a split second Peyton wondered if there was enough time before she had to leave for work.

Sadly there wasn't.

* * *

A tiny giggle escaped past Haley's lips when Nathan had pressed her up against the wall without warning. He towered over her, his body flush against hers while his mouth performed wonders on the side of her neck. Her entire body tingled from her husband's touches as his hands repeatedly rubbed over the sides of her thighs. Unable to contain herself any longer Haley grabbed Nathan's face, yanking his lips off her neck and guiding them over hers right where they belonged. Her fingers curled over the collar of his tee, pulling him closer, leaving absolutely no space between them.

Nathan's lips suddenly broke off from hers. "You know I love you right?" He looked down at Haley, his blue eyes revealing a determined look to win her over, almost as if he felt she might have doubted those words for even a second. And the last thing Nathan wanted was for his wife to ever have any doubts regarding his undying love for her. She was the only woman he had ever truly loved.

"Of course I do." Haley replied softly. "What kind of question is that?"

"It's just with everything going on lately between us I wondered if maybe you were having doubts that I didn't love you enough or something..."

Haley quickly shook her head. "The thought never crossed my mind." She reassured. "I know you love me and our kids Nathan. Us arguing has nothing to do with that, it's completely separate." She pressed their lips together briefly. "Hey and guess what? Couples fight sometimes."

"Not us. We hardly fight Hales. We're usually on the same page."

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean I'm suddenly doubting how much you love me. I haven't lost sight of what we are Nathan and how much we mean to each other. I know we'll figure this out."

Nathan sighed, visibly relaxing as his shoulders dropped. "I just hate that we've been fighting so much lately." He whispered pressing his forehead against hers.

"Me too."

"I don't wanna fight anymore Haley."

"Neither do I."

"So what now then?" Nathan wondered.

Haley blew out a breath. "I've been thinking a lot about me and the kids coming to live with you in Charlotte."

"Really?" Nathan questioned slightly surprised.

Haley nodded. "I don't think right now is the best time since there's only three months left in the school year. It wouldn't be fair just pulling them out so abruptly."

Nathan slowly nodded, masking his disappointment. "Yea you're probably right."

"But afterwards you know, before the new school year starts in the fall, we could move then."

Nathan's lips curved up. "Really? You sure?"

"Yes."

"And if I'm not still with the Bobcats next season?"

Her hands began to rub up and down Nathan's arms. "Then the four of us will make a new home wherever that may be. As long as we're all together that's all that matters."

"Or I could just stay in Charlotte." Nathan suggested. "I've been thinking about this a lot too. It'll be a lot easier on our family if I just stick around."

Haley smiled. "I can't let you do that sweetie. You've worked too hard and we're gonna see this through as a family. I know I was kind of freaking out and giving you a hard time before, but I realized that as long as we're in this together then I know whatever we do decide, it'll be the right decision for our family. Can you promise me that Nathan?"

"I would never make a decision without you on this baby." He reassured her. "We're in this together."

"Good. Then for now let's just wait until those offers start pouring in hot shot." Haley teased.

Nathan chuckled. "I love you." He still had Haley pushed up against the wall and his lips resumed their attack.

"I love you too." Haley managed to mutter quickly as she felt Nathan's lips enclose themselves over hers.

His hands fell over at the hem of his wife's shirt, slipping underneath to caressed the sides of her waist. The kids had already been dropped off at school this morning so they had the house completely to themselves, a rarity in itself really.

"Let's go back to bed." Haley begged him in a whisper.

"Right here works too." Nathan insisted as his hands abandoned her waist and slid down to cup her butt. "You have a serious ass Haley James." He announced making Haley laugh out. She felt the hands on her ass lift her up slightly, as he hooked one of her legs over his hip.

"Anything else?" Haley panted out as her heartbeat began to pick up its pace.

"You're still the sexiest thing I've seen in my entire life."

"Keep talking." She encouraged.

He smiled. "And I'm pretty sure it's time for these jeans to come off."

Haley quickly nodded in agreement. Their lips reconnected soon after and she moaned against the feel of Nathan's tongue swirling over her own. His hands slipped in between them where he hastily began to unbutton and tug down the zipper of her jeans.

"Haley is that you?" Peyton called out as she rounded the corner causing the couple to jump in surprise. "Oh shit." She quickly turned her back at the two. "Shit, I'm so sorry guys! I didn't mean to...interrupt!" She yelled out and laughed.

"Jesus Sawyer." Nathan groaned immediately pulling his hands out from Haley's jeans as the two broke apart.

"I didn't see a thing!" The blonde lied unconvincingly. "And even if I did, it's not like it's nothing I've never seen before." She joked of their past history together.

"Funny." Nathan said deadpanned. "Don't you knock?" He complained as he had to painfully readjust himself in his pants.

"I did knock." Peyton defended. "By the way you guys really need to start locking your doors." She joked again since this was the second time now she had the bad timing of walking in on them. Though the last time Nathan and Haley had been in the middle of a nasty argument, so Peyton was pleasantly surprised that the two had obviously made up since then. "Also I called out your names when I walked in, but clearly you two were preoccupied with other things."

"Okay can we please not?" Haley groaned, speaking up for the first time. This was embarrassing enough.

"Again super sorry over here." Peyton spoke. "You guys decent yet?" She added holding back the urge to laugh.

Haley huffed making sure that her jeans were closed back up before smoothing down her hair. She didn't have to look into a mirror to know that her lips were red and swollen, but there was nothing she could do about that right now.

"Sadly yes." Nathan replied in annoyance. He loved his sister-in-law, he really did, but honestly she had the worst timing and he currently had the blue balls to prove it.

Peyton turned back around to face her friends.

"We weren't excepting you." Haley said cautiously.

"I can always come back later." Peyton teased.

"Works for me." Nathan said quickly.

"Should we say five minutes? I think that's more than enough time, right Nate?"

Nathan frowned. "Hey!" He scoffed clearly offended.

"So I'll come back in five then?" Peyton pressed on while sporting a giant grin on her face.

"Get out."

"Don't be rude." Haley scolded him.

"She walks in on us about to get it on and I'm the rude one?" Nathan replied in a baffled tone.

"Nathan!"

"Five minutes my ass." Nathan mumbled under this breath.

Peyton laughed. "I probably should have called first." She admitted. "I just really had to talk to you about Mia's song."

"Right. Sorry I meant to get back to you on that." Haley apologized.

"So you did listen to it then?" Peyton questioned a bit apprehensively. Haley's opinion and approval on the song meant everything to her, even if it was just a demo that would most likely never see the light of day.

Haley firmly nodded her head. "C'mon let's head to the kitchen and chat."

Nathan groaned at the suggestion.

* * *

Nathan had left the girls to chat deciding to get a workout in the meantime. Haley had fixed herself a cup of tea and both women were seated at the breakfast bar. Haley's laptop was out playing Mia's demo in the background while Haley went over her notes with Peyton.

"So you really liked it?" Peyton said with a grin as the song came to an end.

"Are you kidding? You did a great job Peyton. The arrangement is exactly what we talked about and I noticed you added a few things as well. The music fits the song perfectly. What does Mia think?"

"It has her stamp of approval."

"Perfect then I think we can move forward and cut a cleaner version for the album. Probably pick up the tempo?"

Peyton quickly nodded in excitement. Since they'd started working on Mia's new album, this was the first song Peyton had recorded and mixed without Haley's assistance. It was huge relief to know that Haley had loved it just as much as she did. "I was thinking the same thing actually. If we pick it up a bit I think the song is a good contender as a first single."

"Absolutely."

"Cool, so you wanna head into work together and get started? Mia said she would come in early today too. The chorus still needs some layering so I wanna record a few more vocals to show her range." Peyton jumped in her seat, her excitement clearly visible to the naked eye.

Haley tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth looking slightly guilty. "Actually...I was kind of hoping to take the day off and spend some alone time with my husband?" She spoke awkwardly posing the statement as a question. "You think my boss would be cool with me ditching work for the day?" She added, playfully nudging shoulders with Peyton.

Peyton chuckled. "Well technically you don't have a boss, but I'm pretty sure she could let it slide just this once."

"Thanks." Haley replied grinning from ear to ear at the thought of having her husband all to herself for the next few hours.

"No need to thank me, go on and enjoy your hubby Hales. Plus I figure I owe you after having interrupted you back there. We can start working on that song tomorrow."

"Actually I think you should take lead on it Peyton. I don't think you need me honestly."

"Haley you wrote the song." The blonde reminded her.

"And I completely 100% trust you with it, you already did a fantastic job on the demo."

"I can't do this without you." Peyton protested.

"Dude you've so got this. Get your ass back in that studio and mix the new version."

Peyton slowly nodded. "Okay." She felt a combination of both nerves and excitement shoot through out her entire body. It felt good.

Haley finished off the last of her tea. "Well now that that's settled...have you talked to Brooke yet?"

Peyton visibly cringed in guilt. "No, I haven't seen her since Lucas' birthday party and didn't feel like it was the right time to bring things up."

"Stop stalling and get it over with already." Haley advised her friend. "I just know you guys will be fine if you actually sit down and talk this out honestly."

"I know, I know." Truth was Peyton hadn't been able to muster up the courage to face her best friend, but she knew Haley was right. The tension between her and Brooke would only deepen the longer they avoided hashing things out. "I will soon, I promise."

"You better or I'm gonna have to start kicking some serious ass between the two of you." She threatened.

Peyton playfully rolled her eyes.

"Now get out of my house. I've got things to do."

"Oh you mean like Nathan?" Peyton quipped.

Haley glowered. "Next time you come over try wearing a bell around your neck so you can stop sneaking up on me."

Peyton stood up from her seat and grabbed her purse. "Next time try locking your doors." She mocked and winked at Haley before making her way out of the house.

* * *

 _ **Tree Hill, North Carolina – July 2011**_

 _Brooke Davis' eyes widened and she squealed. "Oh my god you have the baby? No fair!" She spoke as she quickly ushered Peyton and the newborn in her arms inside her home._

 _Peyton laughed. "I thought Haley and Nathan could use the break." The blonde explained. She sat down on the couch and Brooke instantly sat at her best friend's side playfully cooing at baby Lydia._

 _"Give her here." Brooke wiggled her fingers out impatiently until Peyton handed over Lydia. "You're so cute, yes you are!" The brunette smiled down at the two-week-old baby girl in her arms. "And you're mine aren't you? You're all mine, yes you are!"_

 _"I hate to break it to you but you'll have to abduct someone else's child instead. I do kind of have to give her back later." Peyton teased._

 _Brooke hushed the blonde at her side. "Not right now you don't."_

 _Peyton shook her head and smiled before digging into the pink baby bag at her feet and pulling out a bottle._

 _Brooke wordlessly took the bottle being offered and began feeding Lydia. "So Haley just let you take the baby out of the house, just like that?"_

 _"To be honest I don't even think those two really knew what they were agreeing to." Peyton chuckled. "The lack of sleep has them pretty delirious at this point. They looked terrible. I just offered to watch her for a few hours so they could clock in some sleep and they literally fell asleep on the couch during the middle of our conversation."_

 _Brooke giggled. "Haley's gonna freak if she wakes up and the baby is gone."_

 _"I left a note, but trust me those two aren't waking up anytime soon. I'll probably head back to the house before they wake up though just to be safe."_

 _"Or I can keep her here forever and ever." Brooke suggested, her eyes still completely focused on the baby in her arms. "I mean c'mon do those two really need another baby? They already have one kid and I have none. Selfish baby havers."_

 _"You're doing okay though right?" Peyton questioned noticing the sad smile that suddenly graced Brooke's face._

 _Last month Brooke's doctor had delivered the bad news that the chances of her ever conceiving a child would be highly unlikely. The news had left the brunette completely devastated especially since she had been thinking a lot about her future lately and that future had included lots of kids._

 _Brooke blew out a hard breath and sighed. "Yea...I'm doing okay, as okay as I can be I guess."_

 _Peyton silently nodded. She knew that Lydia's arrival had most certainly been a sad reminder of what Brooke might never have._

 _"I just really want one of these of my own you know?"_

 _Both Peyton and Brooke grinned as they looked back down at Lydia who had finished her bottle and had fallen fast asleep._

 _"Yea I kind of know what you mean." Peyton admitted as she gently ran her hand over the light tuft of brown hair on the top of Lydia's head._

 _Brooke looked up at her friend curiously. "Is that so huh?" She spoke skeptically. Peyton had never really been sold on the idea of having her own kids even now that her and Lucas were married._

 _Peyton's eyes dropped down avoiding Brooke's gaze._

 _"Oh my god are you pregnant?!" Brooke squealed not missing the guilty look on the blonde's face._

 _Peyton's face dropped in shock. "What?! God no." She quickly corrected Brooke's assumptions. "Nothing like that, it's just that lately I've been thinking that I think I kind of want one too after all." She confessed. "I wouldn't hate it."_

 _"Oh my god Peyton that's so great." Brooke blew out a chuckle. "Why the sudden change of heart?"_

 _Peyton shrugged. "I dunno I guess I see Haley and Nathan taking care of Lydia and just how happy they seem and I just get this aching feeling inside of me that keeps growing. And I realized that I do want that with Lucas. I want a little mini version of him running around the house or maybe a little girl with his eyes and my hair. And Lucas would be such a great dad." She was smiling brightly at the thought of it all. Her, Lucas and a house full of little ones. It didn't seem so scary anymore._

 _Brooke nodded in agreement. "He'd be the best. God he must be over the moon since you've told him." She knew that Lucas had been eager to start a family longer before Peyton had gotten on board._

 _Peyton bit her bottom lip and grinned. "Actually he doesn't know yet. I'm gonna tell him tonight maybe over a nice dinner or something."_

 _"He's gonna be so excited Peyton. His head is literally going to go through the ceiling." Brooke joked._

 _Peyton eagerly nodded. "I'm really excited to tell him and listen I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rub it in your face. I know talking about all this really sucks right now. To be honest I wasn't sure if I could tell you or not. I didn't want you think I was being insensitive."_

 _Brooke quickly shook her head. "No don't do that. Just because my ovaries have decided to go into early retirement doesn't mean that you can't get excited about starting a family with your husband. You're allowed to feel this way and I'm happy for you Peyton, I really am, and you're gonna be a terrific mother. Also don't be surprised if one of your kids goes missing one day and I'm nowhere to be found."_

 _The blonde laughed. "You're gonna be a great mother too Brooke. Don't give up okay?"_

 _Brooke sighed in defeat. She tried to put on a brave face but the truth was that all this was still really hard to talk about out loud._

 _"I'm serious okay?" Peyton threw an arm over Brooke's shoulders pulling her close. "I don't know when or how, but you are getting your baby Brooke Davis. You're gonna get the family you've always craved for. I just know it, I can feel it in my gut. And I'm gonna spoil the hell out of that kid and love it like he or she was my own. And guess what? My kids will be your kids too. Always."_

 _The brunette spoke through a teary smile. "Thank you Peyton."_

 _"I'm always gonna be here for you B Davis. No matter what."_

 _"Hoes over bros?"_

 _"I wouldn't have it any other way."_

 _"So you think you'll get pregnant soon?" Brooke wondered. "I mean how else am I gonna get my baby? I'm still totally stealing your first born." She chuckled._

 _Peyton laughed. "I mean probably not soon. I mean Lucas is just so busy with the book and Red Bedroom Records is really starting to gain ground, so I don't think we have the time for a baby right now, but definitely someday when our lives are little more settled. Maybe in a year or two."_

 _Brooke pouted. "Lame. I refuse to wait that long."_

 _The blonde laughed again. "Hey by the way, you're not seeing anyone right? I mean you and Owen are done for real this time right?"_

 _Brooke snorted. "God when were we ever really a real thing?" She replied while rolling her eyes. Her and the bartender had been hooking up on and off for the past two years, but much to Brooke's dismay it had never turned into something serious. Owen had a lot of growing up to do and she was finally done with his shit. He had been stringing her along for far too long. "We are SO done. Why do you ask?"_

 _Peyton gave her friend a cheeky smile. "Well...because I kind of have someone I think you'd really hit it off with that I want you to meet."_

 _Brooke frowned. "You have a guy for me? Who? We have like a total of five friends in this entire town, who could you possibly know that I don't?"_

 _"He's not from here. He's from LA. It's my friend the movie producer that's flying in next week to talk to Luke about turning his book into a movie."_

 _"Luke's book has only been out for a couple of months, how could he possibly have a movie deal already?" Brooke questioned skeptically._

 _"Well he doesn't yet, but Julian knows a lot of people in Hollywood and wants to shop around the idea, but he needs Lucas on board first. I snuck him a copy of Lucas' book months ago and he really believes in Luke's book."_

 _"Julian? Wait do not tell me this is the same guy you dated back in college? That's who you're trying to set me up with? No thank you."_

 _"What? Why not?" The blonde pouted disapprovingly._

 _"I'm not really one for sloppy seconds P Sawyer."_

 _"Oh hold on there, me and Julian were barely a thing." Peyton replied completely dismissing the notion._

 _"Didn't he actively pursue you for weeks before you finally said yes?"_

 _"Well I mean yea...but we only went on a few dates and then we decided we were better off as friends. He was a good friend to me when I was still getting over Jake and honestly it's really not that big of a deal, I mean we didn't even sleep together so it's totally fine."_

 _Brooke smirked. "So if he wasn't even good enough for you to sleep with, what makes you think I'll want to."_

 _"Well for starters he's really hot."_

 _Brooke paused, her brows narrowing in interest. "How hot?"_

 _"Very hot." Peyton admitted. "He has this sexy half smirk thing going on that's to die for."_

 _"Do you have a picture?"_

 _Peyton quickly nodded and pulled out her phone. She quickly logged onto her facebook account and pulled up Julian's page._

 _"Okay he is attractive I'll give you that." Brooke admitted after Peyton scrolled through a few pictures._

 _"He's also really nice, and smart, and sweet, and a total gentleman."_

 _"And he's single?" She scoffed. "How come? Serial killer I presume?"_

 _Peyton shrugged. "His last girlfriend cheated on him."_

 _"Oh. Well whatever I mean what's the point anyway? He lives all the way out in California and I live here."_

 _"Oh c'mon Brooke you could at least let me introduce him to you. I think you two will really hit it off and he's a good guy. And you deserve a good guy Brooke Davis and we both know you've been avoiding nice guys like the plague since your break up with Chase. I mean c'mon do you really want to spend the rest of your life with an Owen-type guy or are you finally ready to bring that heart of yours out of hiding and feel something real again?"_

 _Brooke stubbornly shrugged. "What makes you think he'd be interested anyway?"_

 _"Well he already thinks you're pretty hot."_

 _Brooke failed miserably at holding back her smile. "You showed him a picture of me?"_

 _"Back in college he saw pictures of you in my room. Trust me the physical attraction part will not be an issue. Also you're freaking Brooke Davis bitch, how could anyone not fall in love with you?"_

 _"Damn straight bitch." Brooke replied making them both laugh out. "Does he know you're trying to set us up?"_

 _"I told him that there was someone I wanted him to meet. I fashion designer friend of mine that would be an excellent costume designer for the movie if it does get made. I figure the less pressure the better. Julian can be kind of awkward sometimes."_

 _Brooke began slowly rocking Lydia who had started to fuss in her arms. "Sneaky P Sawyer I like it! You're trying to score me a boyfriend and get me a paid gig at the same time? Very impressed over here."_

 _"Plus another bright side is that we can bring Julian out to Tric and flaunt him around Owen, so even if it doesn't work out with Julian at least you'll get some cool points for making Owen crazy jealous."_

 _"Did I mention that I love the way you think? Because I really do."_

 _Peyton smirked. "I am kind of a genius."_

 _"Well then oh wise one tell me more about this Julian fellow. Is he a good kisser?" Brooke nudged her friend eager for her to spill all the details on this new potential guy._

* * *

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2015**

Peyton stood in line at her favorite little coffee shop in town. She was taking a well deserved break after spending most of the morning and all afternoon working on that song with Mia. She had enjoyed a nice late lunch and was picking up a much needed latte before heading back to work.

She quickly looked up from her phone noticing that the line had died down and there was only one guy left in front of her. Her eyes dropped back down to her phone, her fingers lingering on the keys as she continued to stare at the empty message screen in front of her for Brooke. Haley's words kept nagging at her, an uneasy feeling that Peyton knew wouldn't go away until she spoke with her best friend. But she was even struggling to form a simple text message to send.

' _We should to talk._ '

Would that work? Simple and straight to the point. Peyton stubbornly erased the message unsatisfied. Maybe she should call Brooke instead?

Honestly this was giving her just one big headache. Not to mention it was beyond ridiculous that she was scared to talk to Brooke, someone she had practically known for the majority of her life on this earth.

Peyton sighed. "God this is so stupid." She really needed to get it together. She had never been the type of person to run and hide from her best friend. The blonde put her phone away deciding to give another go at contacting Brooke later.

When she looked back up, the guy in front of her had just finished paying for his order and she was up. She watched the man grab his coffee and turn around before stepping to the side in an attempt to go around her. He abruptly stopped upon noticing Peyton.

"Wow. Hey you." He greeted her.

The blonde looked up at his face, but words failed to escape past her throat. She felt like she was staring straight into the eyes of a ghost. Her jaw had quiet literally dropped open in shock the second his face had crossed her line of vision. She could feel her heart beating hard against her chest, just threatening to break through. This really was him just standing right in front of her in the flesh. And though she knew it had been years since they'd laid eyes on each other it sure didn't feel like it. The sight of this man was so familiar, too familiar that it actually hurt to think and for a split second there she wondered if this was all just a dream. But clearly it wasn't because he looked just as lost as she did.

Peyton swallowed hard and took a brave step forward towards him. "Jake?"

It was him. It was really him.

And she could hardly believe it.

* * *

Look who's finally made an appearance guys! Don't hate me too much for leaving the chapter there :p, lol. As always if you have a minute or two to spare please review and let me know what you thought!

Thanks for reading and until next time!


	41. I'm Not Calling You A Liar

Reviews

 **samiha pia** \- Glad you love it. Thank you so much for reading!

 **Annie** \- Yup Jake's finally here and it's going to shake things up for sure!

 **secondstarontheright –** Hahaha yes I guess you have a point, it's a miracle that no one has walked in on Lucas and Peyton at this point. I dunno unlike Naley maybe they know how to lock their doors? That or everyone at this point just knows well enough not to show up unannounced. I'd like to imagine that Skills warned everyone on the side since he interrupted them that one time lol. Thanks for reviewing girl, love ya.

 **Tpassions** \- I know how long you've been waiting for Jake to come through so I'm amazed I was able to surprise you like that! I'm feeling pretty proud actually, lol.

 **Guest** \- Evil is my middle name, mwahahahaha...lol jk. But I had to do the cliffhanger, gotta keep you guys on your toes every now and then.

 **jordana60 –** Yay on being able to catch you off guard! I think quite a few people have forgotten about Jake, but I had that little scene in my back pocket for quite some time now so I'm excited that I'm finally getting to write it.

 **thibbs65 –** Glad you liked the Naley bit. I know how much you love them.

 **leyte –** Yea I can't lie to you, there's a lot of angst heavy chapters coming up. Things are about to go sideways for a lot of the characters in this story.

 **Happyvalley** \- Lol, I swear the torture is unintentional. Thanks for hanging in there between chapters!

 **itsnjm1 –** Thanks!

 **Destiana. Caldin** \- lol I'm sorry! I know everyone is freaking out that I left the chapter like that, but I just had to shake things up.

 **Guest** \- So happy you've been picking up on Peyton's growing independence! I've been slowly building it up throughout this story.

 **Guest** – Hahaha totally not trying to be cruel, I promise! Enjoy the new chapter.

 **simplyaprillyn –** I also really loved the friendship between Haley, Mia & Peyton on the show. I really wish I could feature Mia more in this story (as well as a few other supporting characters that I genuinely love), but I do have to keep the story focused and so for now Mia's more of a behind the scenes character, though I do already have her planned to pop up one or two more times before the story's done. Thanks a million for reading and reviewing lady!

 **Guest** \- Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 41: I'm Not Calling You A Liar

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2015**

Using the back of his arm, Nathan Scott wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead before collapsing on the river court bleachers. Lucas joined him shortly after, tossing him the extra water bottle he had retrieved from his car. The two brothers had been engaged in a heated ball game for the past hour.

"Good game little brother. It's been awhile since we've played together." Lucas pointed out. At this point in their lives Nathan was by far the better ball player. In high school he could have given Nathan a run for his money, but the blond didn't play as much as he did in his younger days and age did play its role. Lucas Scott was hardly old at the age of 28, but he definitely no longer moved like a spritely teenager, plus there was that pesky heart condition. Despite all that he could still keep up with Nathan for the most part and Lucas enjoyed the challenge. Playing against Nathan was always a nice guaranteed workout.

Nathan gulped down the contents of his water bottle fairly quickly. "You're right, not since around New Years. I've been pretty busy though."

Lucas nodded and replied. "So I've noticed. You've been away a lot this season. More than usual actually."

"Look who's talking. You've been quite busy yourself. With Peyton." He teased and playfully nudged Lucas with his elbow. "In fact if I recall correctly the last time we played I had to practically drag you out of the house after your little disappearing act post New Years."

Lucas laughed. "I can't help it if my wife can't keep her hands off me. Don't you forget I'm the better looking brother and damn near irresistible if I do say so myself." He said smugly.

Nathan snorted and rolled his eyes. "Keeping telling yourself that."

"Am I detecting a bit of jealously?"

"That'll be the day." The younger Scott replied in a bored tone.

Lucas shook his head. "So listen man I've been meaning to ask, any updates on this whole Dan might be dying thing?"

"Why?" Nathan asked as he looked over his brother with curiosity. "I figured you wouldn't care to know either way."

Lucas shrugged. "Just curious I guess." He admitted. "It's kind of pathetic how low he'll go to get us to talk to him right?"

Nathan sighed. "Honestly man I think I kind of believe him. I didn't at first, but...I dunno it seems different this time. I haven't seen him since he told me though. Have you?"

Lucas shook his head. "Haven't seen him since the hearing. I think he knows better than to approach me at this point. What are you going to do? Are you gonna let him see the kids?"

"Fuck if I know. I've got more than enough stuff going on at the moment and Dan's at the very bottom of my list of priorities."

"Stuff as in you and Hales?" The blond guessed. "You guys still on the outs?"

"Actually I think we're kind of okay now. We talked it out a bit yesterday and things aren't as tense. Wherever I end up playing we're gonna make it work for us no matter what."

"That's great man, I know you two would work it out. You guys should know pretty soon though right?"

Nathan nodded. "Yea according to my agent the offers should be coming in within the next week or so."

"Excited?"

"Hell yes. I mean there's a lot interest and plus the more money part doesn't hurt either." He grinned.

Lucas bumped fists with his brother. "Congrats Nate. You deserve it all."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it."

Lucas took a long sip from his bottle. "Oh hey how was the other night by the way?"

"Oh it was pretty fun."

A couple of nights ago Nathan had got together with his old Ravens teammates. They usually tried to get together at least once or twice a year.

"It was good to catch up. I haven't seen them in awhile. You should have came out. We had a few drinks and just played a few rounds of pool at Tric."

"Nah that's your scene. I hated those guys in high school, you included." Lucas joked.

Nathan shrugged. He really couldn't defend his actions back then. He really had been an ass.

"Who was all there?"

"Tim, Vegas, you know the usual suspects. Oh and... " Nathan paused hesitantly.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Jake was there actually." He revealed to his brother after a long sigh. After everything Lucas and Peyton had gone through these last few months, he knew that Jake was the last name his brother would want to hear.

The blond's face fell immediately. "Jake's in town?"

Nathan nodded. "Yea he's here for a few days with his wife and kid visiting his parents."

Lucas shifted uncomfortably and swallowed hard. "Did he ask about Peyton?"

Nathan nodded again. "He did." He replied truthfully as he watched Lucas' grip around his water bottle tighten. "I wouldn't read too much into it man. I don't think it's out of the ordinary for him to ask about her and plus it wasn't just her, he asked about Brooke and Haley, and even you man. He's just a nice guy all around."

"I guess." Lucas muttered. It's not like he had anything against Jake. He was an innocent party in all of this, but it still made the blond feel uneasy that Peyton's ex was suddenly in such close proximity.

"I told him about Peyton's accident. He had no idea, but then again how would he know anyway."

Lucas released a frustrated sigh while running a hand through his short locks.

"It's really not a big deal Luke." Nathan spoke trying to ease his mind. "Besides he's heading back home today anyway." He quickly added.

"Good." Lucas stated unapologetically, grateful that the window of opportunity for his wife to run into her ex was quickly coming to a close. Tree Hill was a small town after all.

"Are you gonna tell Peyton?"

"No." Lucas quickly blurted out.

"Alright then." Nathan said quietly. It was probably best to change the subject now.

Lucas slapped a hand over his face and groaned. "I'm an asshole I know, feel free to judge away."

"Dude I'm not." His brother reassured him. "I get it okay? That's your girl and you're just trying to protect what you guys have right now. I know the Jake thing is a shaky subject for you guys. I'm not judging you, I completely understand. Hell I'd probably do the same too if I were in your shoes. I've got your back here."

"You can't tell her Nate. Please. I'm begging you, not a word. I know it's a shitty thing to ask –"

"I won't." Nathan agreed cutting him off.

Lucas sighed in relief. "Does Haley know?"

"No."

"Good." Lucas blew out a breath. "I just can't have a repeat of what happened back in LA you know? I don't want to ever go back to that. I refuse to. I can't have us going backwards again. I don't know if we'd be able to get pass that a second time and I just can't risk it." He rattled off to Nathan as he tried to explain his thought process.

"Hey I get it okay?" Nathan repeated. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. Don't worry about all this, just calm down. You and Peyton are doing really great these days. She's crazy about you man. Any idiot can see how much she loves you. The memory loss hasn't changed a thing."

Lucas' shoulders sagged. "Does she though?" He challenged his brother skeptically.

Nathan made a face and scoffed. "What are you talking about? Of course she does." He replied. "You know that."

"I don't actually." Lucas admitted. "I know she cares for me and she wants to be with me, but I honestly have no idea how she really feels about me." And that was the real reason why he was so bothered with Jake's sudden appearance, because he was uncertain about Peyton's overall feelings.

Nathan found himself slightly flabbergasted as his mouth opened and closed shut. "I thought you guys were doing great."

"I mean yea we are. Everything is really good between us and we're connecting on pretty much every level. We're comfortable around each other and we're happy. We're in this really amazing stage right now in our relationship."

"But?"

Lucas sighed. "But then again there's this giant elephant in the room. I tell her I love her all the time and she still hasn't said it back, not once, and it sucks man." He sadly shook his head while he continued to speak. "I just keeping thinking about when we first got together. Peyton told me she loved me after three months of dating and now it's four months since she woke up from her accident and I dunno I just thought she'd feel the same way about me by now. And now I can't help but wonder what if she never feels exactly the same way about me like she did before? What if I've lost that part of her for good?"

"C'mon man you know that's not fair. You can't expect things to go exactly like how they did the first time around and you're not doing yourself any favors by comparing the past with the reality of the way things are now. The situation and circumstances are different. I know it sucks but she probably just needs more time. You of all people know how guarded Peyton can be with her feelings."

"I need her to love me Nate. I'm trying to be patient, I really am, but it's getting harder and if I tell her that I'm just afraid she'll start pulling away from me again, and now with Jake in town..."

"C'mon man, you can't really believe that after all you guys have been through Peyton's still confused about who she wants to be with."

"She does want me!" Lucas angrily snapped. "Peyton wants to be with me. Not _him_."

"Whoa man calm down." Nathan raised his hands defensively. "I never said that she didn't, in fact that's my whole point. Just give it a little more time Luke. You're the most important person in that girl's life. She'll say the words, give it time."

Lucas slowly nodded. "I need to see her." He stated after a beat. "I have to talk to her about something else anyway. I was thinking about stopping by and taking Peyton out for lunch. You wanna come with and join us with Haley? They could probably use the break. Peyton said this morning that she'd be busy in the studio all day with Haley and Mia."

Nathan slightly frowned. "Not with Haley."

"Huh?"

"Haley didn't go into work today." He corrected. "Liddy's sick with the flu so she stayed home to take care of her." And Nathan knew for a fact that Haley had called Peyton last night to give her the heads up. He had been sitting next to Haley when she had made the call.

Lucas' face faltered for a slight second at the news. "I could have swore she mentioned working with Haley this morning." In fact he was sure of it.

"You probably just misheard or she just forgot or something." Nathan said quickly. Based on the look on his brother's face, he could already guess what thoughts were currently running through Lucas' mind.

"Yea you're probably right." Lucas replied quietly, clearly lost in his own thoughts.

"Lucas." Nathan called his name trying to snap the blond out of his daze. "I'm sure it's nothing. C'mon let's play another quick game." He quickly suggested. "You can go see Peyton after."

Lucas slowly nodded in response before standing up. Nathan was right. It was probably nothing. He must have just heard Peyton wrong, but if that was the case then why couldn't he shake off this sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach? Something felt extremely off and it was a hard feeling to ignore.

* * *

Peyton gave another nervous glance around the coffee shop as she sat in her seat and waited. Her fingers anxiously fidgeted with the red skirt she wore as she tugged it down and smoothed down the tiny creases of the fabric over and over again. Next she adjusted her curls, fluffing them a bit and bring them forward to frame her face making sure she looked presentable.

If you asked Peyton Sawyer to describe how she felt at this very moment her answer would be _everything_. Her body, her heart, and her mind were all over the place. She was a complete mixed bag of emotions. She felt nervous. She was scared. She was worried.

She was also slightly excited. Excited to talk to him again. Excited to see him again.

Then there was the guilt of course. She was angry at herself, ashamed even, because as much as she had convinced herself that she didn't need to see him, that all changed the second they had locked eyes yesterday afternoon at this very same café. In that moment she realized she was a fraud. She had lied to herself and worst of all she had lied to Lucas too. It wasn't until yesterday she had realized how truly weak she was.

But most of all she felt lost.

Because seeing him again was kind of a big deal and she didn't know what to do.

And up until yesterday Peyton never thought she'd be looking into the eyes of the man that once upon a time had meant everything to her.

Maybe she wasn't necessarily in love with Jake anymore, but for whatever reason she could still feel that connection they used to have. Jake had been a huge part of her life and though she had accepted their ending it didn't mean she had quite been able to let go completely.

And yes she realized what a horrible person she was because of it. She had Lucas now. Lucas was now the one guy that meant everything to her and rather than honor her commitment to that relationship she had chosen instead to go behind his back and meet up with her ex.

But she couldn't help it. This was probably her last chance to talk to Jake. She had no intention of ever seeing him again after this.

Their run-in yesterday had been a quick blur. Jake hadn't been able to stay and chat, but he agreed to meet up again at Peyton's request. She had been so dazed and confused after their brief encounter that going back to work at the studio turned into a complete bust. The blonde had been unable to focus and it was Mia who eventually decided that they should break off the rest of their session for the day.

Long after Mia had headed home for the day, Peyton postponed returning to her own home until the very last possible second. She stayed holed up in her office all the way through dinner time, texting Lucas to go ahead and eat without her. When she did finally come home she had hoped Lucas had gone to bed already, but he had waited up for her and she hated herself as she pretended that everything was just fine. She should have just told him everything, but she was scared of his reaction. She was scared that it would be like LA all over again and the thought of Lucas hating her was enough to convince Peyton to keep her mouth shut. So instead she had crawled into bed and pretended everything was okay. She hadn't been able to sleep at all and in the morning she was out of bed before Lucas woke up in order to avoid any physical contact. Lucas had a habit of initiating sex first thing in the morning and she wasn't that heartless to go ahead and sleep with him right before meeting up with her ex.

Nothing was going to happen. It was just an innocent meeting. She'd talk to Jake and that would be that. That would be the end of it. It would be over and Lucas would never have to know. It wouldn't ruin what they have now.

It was just an innocent meeting. Just two people talking about the past.

At least that's what Peyton kept telling herself repeatedly. It of course did absolutely nothing in assuaging the festering guilt inside of her. Either way you looked at it she knew it was fucked up to keep this secret from Lucas. If she had enough sense she would just get up and walk out of this coffee shop and never look back, and get her ass to work like she was supposed to.

But it was much too late for that now because Jake had finally arrived and was heading her way.

He was smiling the second he had spotted her and Peyton couldn't help but reciprocate with her own grin. She felt her heart jump the closer he got and eventually her nerves got the best of her and she was jumping out of her seat by the time he reached her.

"Hi." She felt extremely shy all of a sudden.

"Hey." Jake said softly. "It's good to see you again Peyt." He took a step closer towards her before leaning in as they engaged in the most awkwardest of hugs.

"Thanks for coming." She motioned for him to take a seat and they both sat down. "I already ordered you a drink. I hope you still drink it black with two sugars?" She spoke as she slid him his coffee.

Jake smiled fondly and nodded. "You remembered."

Peyton shrugged. "Well it's definitely not the most complicated of coffee orders." She pointed out making them both chuckle lightly.

There was an awkward silence that followed after. Her eyes fell down towards the shaky hands that sat across her lap concealed by the table between them. She took in a deep breath, silently mustering the courage to raise her eyes towards his face again.

"I'm really glad you're here." She confessed.

Jake offered up another soft smile. "Me too."

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around Lucas was climbing up the long staircase outside of Tric after grabbing a quick shower at home once he had parted ways with Nathan.

"Hey Carrie." Lucas greeted the young office assistant after sliding past Red Bedroom Records' doors.

Carrie looked up from her computer and smiled. "Hi Lucas. How are you?"

"Great and yourself?"

"Not bad. What can I do for you?"

"Is Peyton around?" He questioned.

Carrie frowned slightly shaking her head. "Umm no, not yet. I'm not expecting her until later."

Now it was Lucas' turn to frown. "She hasn't been in at all today? I thought she was clocking in studio time with Mia all day."

The brunette shrugged. "It's just Mia in there right now working on some lyrics. Peyton left me a voicemail this morning before I got into the office. She said something came up and that she wouldn't be in until later this afternoon."

Lucas swallowed hard. "Oh...I just thought she'd..."

"Do you need me to call her?" Carrie said with concern noticing her boss' husband appeared a bit distraught. "Is something wrong? Like an emergency?"

Lucas quickly shook his head. "No, no please don't. I just wanted to take her out to lunch that's all."

Carrie raised an eyebrow looking skeptical.

"We must have just gotten our signals crossed. I must have misheard her this morning about not coming into work until later." The blond made a poor attempt at laughing off the confusion as Carrie continued to eye him up and down clearly not buying it. Yea she was judging him. It was time to leave. "Anyway sorry, I'll let you get back to work. See you later, thank you Carrie." Lucas turned on his heels and quickly left before Carrie could get another word in.

"Where are you?" Lucas quietly mumbled to himself. It wasn't like Peyton to just disappear without letting him know, maybe in the beginning when she had still been wary of him after leaving the hospital, but not anymore. She had specifically told him on her way out of the house this morning that she would be swamped at work with Haley and Mia. Except Haley wasn't at work and now neither was Peyton? He was really trying his best not to envision the one thing that had been plaguing his mind since chatting with his brother at the river court.

No. It just couldn't be what he's imagining. Peyton wouldn't just lie to him like that. They were past that now. They were stronger than they had been in months. It was all just one big misunderstanding and clearly he was being insecure and ridiculous.

Peyton wouldn't be with _him._ She just wouldn't. She wouldn't do that to him. She would never go behind his back.

Lucas sighed pulling out his phone and dialing Peyton's number.

It would be fine. He would just check in with her and his fears would be put at ease. Chances were Peyton was with Brooke and the two had finally made up.

"C'mon baby pick up." Lucas nervously muttered as the phone continued to go unanswered.

"Hey."

He felt a wave of relief spread throughout his body when her voice came through the line. "Hey you." He replied sweetly.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how your day was going. I missed you and thought we could get lunch together. I've also got some news about the book tour. Where are –"

She cut him off.

"Oh...I really can't today..." Peyton replied weakly. "I'm just kind of in the middle of things here at the studio."

Lucas froze. "You're at work? Right now?" He spoke incredulously as he looked over his shoulder as he still stood right outside the doors of Red Bedroom.

"Of course where else would I be silly?"

"And Haley's there too?" He blurted out, testing her.

"Yup just us girls." Peyton replied slowly. She sounded both tired and distracted.

He felt his heart drop.

"Listen Luke, I really gotta go. I'll see you later tonight okay? I was thinking about picking up some take-out on the way home. Are you good with Chinese?"

He could call her out right now, expose her obvious lies, but Lucas stopped himself. Jumping down Peyton's throat wasn't going to do him any favors when all he had right now were his suspicions. Peyton was nowhere to be found right when Jake Jagielski just happened to be in town. It could all just be one big coincidence. It didn't necessarily mean that they were together, though every fiber of his being was screaming at him otherwise. Was she playing him for a fool?

"Lucas?"

Lucas snapped out of his thoughts and answered. "Um yea Chinese is fine."

It would all have to wait until later tonight then.

"Okay, see you later."

"Bye." He spoke sadly before Peyton ended the call. He stared down at his phone for what seemed like an eternity before finally slipping it into the pocket of his jacket. Lucas suddenly wasn't looking forward to tonight at all, wishing he had just stayed home and had never met up with Nathan and remained blissfully ignorant. That's exactly what he wanted right now. What he didn't want was this overwhelming feeling of trepidation inside of him of what was to come.

"Son?"

Recognizing the voice Lucas snapped his head up almost violently. "What the hell are you doing here?" He barked out. As if his day hadn't been shitty enough now he was face-to-face with the man he had the misfortune of having to share half of his chromosomes with.

He hadn't seen Dan Scott's face since the parole hearing.

"Looking for you. I didn't know if you'd be here so I was going to ask your wife – "

He snapped.

The mention of Peyton had Lucas seeing red and the next thing Dan knew his back was being slammed up against the wall.

"You stay the hell away from Peyton!" Lucas angrily yelled out. His hands tightly gripped the front of Dan's shirt as he roughly slammed him against the wall once more. "You are _not_ welcome here. Get out."

Dan held his hands up in surrender. "I just came to talk. I don't know if you heard –"

"What that you're _supposedly_ dying?" Lucas finished for him.

"I _am_ dying. I'm waiting on a heart transplant."

He rolled his eyes. "Yea don't care either way so spare me the sob story."

"Lucas –"

"What do you want from me? Did you really think that this was the thing that would bring us together?"

Dan remained silent.

Lucas laughed. "You've got to be kidding me." He mocked. "I want you out of my life. Do us all a favor and pack your shit, leave this town and never come back. You don't belong here. You should be rioting in a prison cell. There is nothing for you here, certainly not me. This bullshit act might work on Nate, but it won't work on me. Ever."

"Listen I understand how you must feel..."

"You don't know shit. Not about me. Never have." Lucas seethed. "Never will."

"Just give me a chance to make things right."

Lucas scoffed. "I'm not gonna tell you this again Dan. Stay away from me and don't you even think about coming anywhere near my wife." He pushed Dan hard against the wall one final time. "You're nothing to me and that's all you'll ever be. As far as I'm concerned you're already dead to me."

"Is everything okay here?"

Lucas looked over to his side to see that Owen and Chase had appeared. They had been in the back stocking up the bar for tonight and had overheard the commotion.

"Yea Luke you alright man?" Chase questioned as well while he looked back and forth between Lucas and the older man he didn't recognize.

Lucas blew out an irritated breath but eventually released his hold on Dan before taking a few steps back. "It's fine. I'm good."

"You sure?" Owen asked with raised eyebrows. He'd never seen Lucas like this. Ever.

"I'm fine." Lucas answered through gritted teeth. "Do me a favor." He spoke after turning over to face the two. "Take care of this trash." He added while nodding over in Dan's direction. "It's stinking up my mother's club."

Owen and Chase slowly nodded and dumbfoundedly watched Lucas storm out of Tric without another word.

"What the hell was that about?" Chase loudly blurted out.

Owen shrugged. "Beats me."

"I mean that was weird right? Should we maybe get Peyton?"

"Or you could just mind your own damn business and do what you're told." Owen suggested before turning over towards Dan, who was busy fixing his now wrinkled shirt. "Listen brother I don't know who the hell you are or what's going on here, but what I do know is that you gotta go, c'mon now."

* * *

After his outburst Lucas had found himself back at the river court. He had been sitting there by himself for the past few hours trying not to think, but of course that was impossible. He wasn't exactly proud of his actions earlier at Tric, but damn it had felt good putting a little fear into Dan for once. Hopefully he would stay away from now on. Lucas had found it surprising that Dan had even gone looking for him in the first place. If Nathan wanted to have a relationship with his father that was on him, but he certainly had no desire to resume contact with Dan.

But Dan Scott was the least of his worries at the moment. Lucas' chest pounded violently every time his thoughts floated over to Peyton and her possibly reconnecting with her ex. He was avoiding the house because he didn't want to have this conversation. He wanted to pretended this day had never happened. Peyton was obviously keeping something from him and while he craved to know what was really going on, he also feared that truth because things might never be the same again.

Lucas heard a car pull up to the river court and he looked up from the bleachers. His shoulders sagged as he watched the very person he was prolonging confronting. Peyton stepped out of her Comet and headed towards him.

"Hey I thought that was your car." The blonde spoke as she stood over him. "I thought you'd be home by now. Hungry? I've got Chinese in the front seat." She sat down next to him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "How was your day?" Peyton inquired.

"Pretty shitty actually."

Peyton's face fell in concern. "What happened?"

Lucas completely ignored the question. "How was work?" He was giving her once last chance to come clean. "You get a lot of work done with Haley and Mia?"

For a split second she paused. It was quick but he had caught the apprehensive look that crossed her face before it disappeared just as quickly.

Peyton awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ears. "Um yea, today was fine."

Both his hands gripped the bench below him. "Where were you today Peyton?"

Her eyes widened a bit, surprised at his sudden harsh tone. "What do you mean? I was at work."

"You're lying." He spoke lowly.

The blonde froze in place.

"Where were you today?" Lucas repeated. "Because I know you weren't at work this morning and I know Haley has been home all day taking care of Lydia." He added coldly.

Peyton took in a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt the feeling of dread wash over her knowing she had been caught in her lie. "You stopped by the office?" She spoke meekly.

"Yes. I was there when I called you today."

"Lucas I..." It was clear that she had to tell him now. There was no other way around it.

"Where were you Peyton?" He barked out. The hesitation in Peyton's voice increasing his fury.

Her eyes snapped shut and both her hands covered her mouth. Her skin prickled with fear and she felt so hot, so uncomfortably hot. She tried to think of anything that could fix this mess she had created, but the alarming panic she felt within prevented her from forming the right words. There was nothing she could do or say that would be able to ease the blow she was about to deliver.

Eventually she found the strengthen to face Lucas again. Her green eyes reopened, she had lowered her hands and she swallowed down another large lump in her throat. Peyton took in one last deep breath because she seriously felt like she was about to pass out from the guilt she was experiencing.

She never wanted to hurt him.

Not again.

She should have just told him last night.

She was a fucking idiot.

Peyton's mouth opened and the words slowly tumbled out. "I was with..." She sighed. "I was with Jake." She looked down and away from him completely ashamed. "He's in Tree Hill." She quietly added.

Lucas said nothing. He simply stood up and walked away from Peyton and she let him.

* * *

Next up: We'll see how Lucas reacts and you'll see what exactly happened during Peyton and Jake's coffee date. But in the meantime shoot me a review and tell me what you think!

Chapter Track: 'I'm Not Calling You A Liar' by Florence + the Machine

Until next time!


	42. Are You Lonesome Tonight?

Reviews

 **Guest** – Aww sorry for all the suspense, but it makes for a good read right? Lol. Don't give up on Leyton though!

 **simplyaprillyn –** The Scott brothers bonding is my absolutely fave and I agree I feel like there really isn't enough of it in most fics.

 **jordana60 -** Yup Peyton totally messed up. There's no way around it. Her intent was to protect her relationship with Lucas by not saying anything and by doing so it just made things worse.

 **Broseph08** \- Thank you for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it. There's lots of drama coming up so I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 **Tpassions** \- Oh so many predictions but I can't give anything away, lol! Thanks for reading!

 **leyte –** LOL! Thanks for reading.

 **powercouples –** Drama for your mama. Lol

 **shazzle -** Aww thank you! That is so sweet and really brings a smile to my face. Honestly it takes awhile to write these chapters and the appreciation coming from readers like you make it all worth the time.

 **samiha pia** \- Oh I don't think 'pissed' even begins to describe how Luke feels right now!

 **Destiana Caldin** \- Lol on Dan's 'great timing.' Had Lucas not been so tripped up on Peyton at the time it definitely wouldn't have turned physical, but that first interaction would have been tense and nasty regardless.

 **itsnjm1 –** Poor Lucas indeed :(

 **Annie** \- Glad you love it because the drama is far from over, lol. Thanks for reading girl!

 **secondstarontheright** \- Hahaha I love that song! It was stuck in my head for a few days after I picked it for the last chapter. Anyway girl you basically hit the nail on the head, Peyton's actions are heavily weighed by the fact that she's kind of stuck in time, still feeling quite young. Those life experiences that shaped her during most of her twenties have gone poof, so naturally her behavior is gonna be off in some ways. Because let's face it, 27 year old Peyton before the accident would have never pulled that shit. If she was meeting up for coffee with an Jake she would have told her husband.

 **thibbs65 –** Thank you so much! Glad you loved it!

 **Guest** \- Yes, lots of drama. Thanks for reading.

 **Guest** \- There's no denying that Lucas has been really good to Peyton and he didn't deserve this, so I completely understand your hate on Peyton right now. Trust me she pretty much feels the same way about her foolishness at this point. Try to understand however that she wasn't trying to be purposefully sneaky or hurtful. She thought it was the best way to keep her marriage in a good place and obviously it was the wrong call and it blew up in her face.

 **Demi101** \- lol sorry for the wait!

* * *

Chapter 42: Are You Lonesome Tonight?

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2015**

It's morning.

Right about now is when she would wake up all refreshed from a good night's sleep, but she's only just getting home. She's parked right outside the house, her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. With heavy eyes Peyton peers out from the passenger window, observing the house and its surroundings. His car is parked in the driveway, but she knows better than to think he's actually inside. A part of her is praying, no begging for the possibility that he's been up waiting for her this entire time. That everything between them didn't just completely fall apart last night. That there was still some shred of hope left that could save what they've built together and what she had so selfishly ruined.

But even from all the way out here she can feel the emptiness lurking inside that house.

He's not in there.

He's not waiting on her.

Not anymore.

He made that perfectly clear last night.

* * *

 **12 Hours Ago**

He's walking away from her and she's letting him. Her vision blurs from the tears crowding her eyes and her chest feels so fucking tight, making it impossible to breathe properly. Her chest heaves with each intake of air as her mind continues to struggle with her current reality. It's an odd feeling watching him turn his back on her. It feels like time has slowed down and each additional step Lucas takes pains her more than the last.

But then Peyton suddenly snaps out of it and time seems to have returned to normal.

What the hell is she doing? Why is she letting him walk away? She can't just let him leave. Not like this.

The blonde is jumping out of her spot on the bleachers and follows after him. "Lucas wait!" Peyton tearfully chokes out.

He continues to ignore her and it forces Peyton to pick up her steps. She quickly skips ahead, turning to stop right in front of Lucas, effectively blocking his path. "Can we please talk about this? Please?" She begs him.

"Get out of my way Peyton." Lucas grits out. "I am not doing this with you right now."

"Nothing happened. I swear."

His eyes narrowed down in her direction. "I find that hard to believe." He spoke disdainfully. The conversation had barely started and it was already leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

"Nothing happened." Peyton repeats. "We just ran into each other, that's all. I didn't even know he was in town."

Lucas throws his hands up in anger."Then why lie about?! Why go out of your way to keep it from me?"

"Because I knew if I did it would upset you. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, I didn't want to ruin what we have. I was trying to protect you. I only did it to protect us."

"Protect us?!" Lucas cried out in disbelief. "And you thought what? That going behind my back would hurt any less? All you've managed to accomplish is to fill me with doubt when it comes to us. When it comes to you." He pointed his finger at her accusingly.

Peyton began desperately shaking her head, while the tears finally began to fall down her face. "No, no, don't...don't think like that. I'm still your girl Luke. Nothing has changed. I'm still yours. I promise." No longer being able to tolerate the space between them, she takes a step forward, her hand reaching for him wanting to comfort him.

Lucas immediately takes a step back. The last thing he wants right now is her hands on him. He can barely look Peyton in the eye as it is. Right now space is good. Space is his friend. "You should have told me." He spits out angrily. "Have these last couple of months meant nothing to you?

She releases a shocked scoff. "You know that's the furthest thing from the truth!" How could he even think that?

"And yet you still kept it from me. How could you do that? How could you be okay with doing that to me especially after LA? We've done this ridiculous dance far too many times and I'm sick of it. I'm fucking sick of it. I don't deserve this shit Peyton. It's unfair and you know it."

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry." She was sobbing uncontrollably at this point. "It just happened. I wasn't thinking. I fucked up okay? Just please try to understand –"

Lucas cut her off.

"I don't understand why you still felt the need to see him in the first place. You said you were done with that. You looked me straight in the eye and promised me you were done with that, that you only wanted me."

"And that hasn't changed! I haven't stopped wanting you. I just...I just wanted answers Luke. I needed them. I just needed to be able to understand better why things are the way they are. I just needed to understand that lost part of me a little bit better. I didn't know you back then. You didn't know me back then, but Jake did...I just...I just needed to know how things were back then. It's the only reason I saw him again today. I just needed the closure. That's all it was Lucas. It didn't mean anything else. There is nothing there between Jake and I."

Lucas' blue eyes flickered wildly. She hadn't noticed her slip, but he had most certainly caught it. "Saw him again? What do mean you saw him again?" His face turned red. "You just said you ran into him, which is it now Peyton?"

Peyton swallowed hard, tightly pressing her lips together muffling another sob. "I did run into him, while I was out for a coffee run." She sniffled.

"When?"

Her lips were pressed tightly once more.

His eyes glared down at her, nostrils flaring. "Peyton. When?"

Her face gave her away, falling apart once more. "Yesterday, but it was just for a minute...he couldn't stay to talk, so then I...

"You asked to see him again." Lucas concluded. He exhibited very little emotion, his eyes downcast.

"Yes." Peyton choked out as she wrapped her arms around her frame.

Another lie. He couldn't believe it.

"And then you came home last night and lied to me, and then you did it again all day today." He spoke harshly. The shock of her betrayal had worn off and he was back to being angry.

"Lucas..."

"Were you with him when I called you today?"

Peyton quickly shook her head. "No. He had already left." She croaked. "I promise."

Lucas scoffed furiously. Peyton's promises meant very little to him at the moment.

"Who the hell are you? Because you are far from the woman I married. I can hardly recognize this person right now. I don't know you. My girl would never hurt me. Not like this." Lucas sadly shook his head. This had him feeling all disheartened, disjointed, and sick to his stomach. "What is this hold he has over you?"

"Nothing. It meant nothing. We just talked. I swear nothing happened." She was pleading again with him, hoping that somehow he would understand. The look of heartbreak and disgust he wore killed her. It made her feel so small.

"And he's gone now and you don't ever have to worry about Jake or me ever seeing him again. It's over. I swear I never meant to hurt you like this. I was just trying to do what I thought was right.

"Well look how well that turned out for you Peyton. Bravo. I hope it was worth it."

* * *

 **Present Day**

Peyton sat out in front of the house for probably thirty minutes before she found the courage to exit her vehicle and head inside. The second she slips through the front door she's hit with an eerie, cold silence causing her to involuntarily shiver. The house was too quite, too still, confirming her suspicions that Lucas wasn't home. She does a slow walk through every room just in case, the disappointment in her heart increasing with each empty room she encounters. She leaves their bedroom for last and with a heavy heart she enters.

Physically she's exhausted. Seeing how she never made it to bed last night, her body feels like it's about to collapse any second. It's sore and achy, and all the crying as left her throat so dry and itchy that it sort of burns.

Her mind though? Now that's a different story. Mentally she's unable to shut down. It's been on a constant loop since last night, a million thoughts and regrets speeding through her mind. Emotionally she had over exhausted herself, but it doesn't seem to matter. She's running on fumes at this point and her mind has little desire to grant her a short reprieve.

Not that she doesn't deserve this sort of self-inflicted form of mental punishment. Her careless decision-making is why she's where she is. She did this all on her own and it has her feeling empty and wondering if she'll ever really be whole again after this.

Peyton Sawyer is no stranger to pain. She's experienced hurt in more ways than one during her very short life. A lot of terrible things have happened to her. She knows what it's like to lose someone, to be lied to, to have someone disappoint you in the worst possible way. She knows what it's like to be at the short end of the stick, feeling like the entire world is against you. And right now she can't for the life of her figure out how she could willingly deliver that same kind of painful feeling to another human being, especially one she cared about so damn much. Lucas was right. He didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him and he'd probably be better off without her, but she sure wouldn't be. Peyton still wanted him with all her heart. She needed to find a way for Lucas to forgive her.

The blonde slowly makes her way towards their neatly made bed. She pulls back the comforter, along with the sheets and crawls onto the mattress, burying her worn body underneath the covers. She closes her eyes exhaling loudly before taking in another deep breath. His lingering scent fills up her nostrils as she rolls over to Lucas' side of the bed and it brings her on the brink of tears again. Even with eyes shut Peyton can still see his steel blue eyes staring back at her coldly, no longer warm and inviting. She wonders where Lucas is right at this very second and how long will it be before she's able to see him again.

She also begins to wonder if seeing Jake had been worth it in the end. At the time she thought yes – absolutely. But now she wasn't so sure. Had her quest for closure and understanding been worth the massive causality that was her marriage? Why did things always have to be so hard?

Because right now...

Everything. Just. Hurt.

* * *

 **24 Hours Ago**

"That's her. That's Jenny." Jake said as he proudly showed off a picture of his daughter on his phone. "She just turned two."

For the past thirty minutes they had been reminiscing about their lives way back then. High school and college – well the good parts of college anyway – they hadn't yet crossed into the delicate territory that was their breakup. Peyton didn't know how to bring it up and then Jake had sort of skipped ahead and mentioned he was a dad now.

"Wow." Peyton said slowly as she stared at the face of the little blonde girl that belonged to him. "You really have a kid huh?"

Jake smiled and nodded. "Sure do." He replied happily.

"She seems sweet and she totally has your eyebrows."

"Oh god poor Jenny." He said through a laugh and frowned.

Peyton chuckled as well and retreated into her coffee cup, taking a large gulp of the now cold drink.

"Do you have any?"

Peyton immediately choked on her coffee. She quickly shook her head. Her hand thumping against her chest through a hacking cough.

Jake smiled knowingly. He remembered Peyton's aversion to kids back when they were still children themselves. "It's scary as fuck at first, but then you figure out pretty quickly it's kind of the greatest thing you'll ever do. You'll see."

"Not everyone is meant to be a parent." Peyton stated as she tapped her fingers along the side of her coffee mug.

"True, but you're not one of those people."

Peyton scoffed. "How can you be so sure about that?"

"I just do." He simply replied. "You're meant to be a mom Peyton. I always thought so. You always had way too much love inside of you to let that go to waste and something tells me that probably hasn't changed much."

The blonde's eyes slightly widened in surprise, her face turned red and she quickly ceased eye contact, her head dropping down as she pretended to be suddenly fascinated with the inside of her mug.

Neither of them said anything after that. It had been awkward from the very beginning of their meet up – probably more on Peyton's end than Jake's – but now the awkwardness had skyrocketed.

Jake was still the same old Jake, down to the shaggy untamed hair he wore. He looked pretty much the same. His face had matured of course and sure there were a few lines on his face that hadn't been there before, but otherwise he pretty much looked the same. Jake looked good, even Peyton couldn't deny that. But that wasn't the reason behind the pounding heart that kept threatening to break out of her chest. Frankly it was just sort of terrifying to be this close to him again. It was just so fucking weird. The memories in her head reminded Peyton of all the love she had for this man, but it did nothing to soothe her in anyway. This was way more uncomfortable than she envisioned. Nothing was really clicking into place like she had hoped, but that probably had more to do with her guilt over Lucas and this meeting more than anything. How could she possibly feel at ease when she was keeping secrets?

She hated lying to Lucas, but she needed this. She needed to do this for herself. She was finally ready to move on from the past and this was the last step in doing so. This wasn't about Lucas at all, this was about Peyton. This was her saying goodbye to her former self.

The girl she used to be.

The girl she would unfortunately never get the chance to remember.

And truthfully as much as Peyton wanted those memories back, she was okay with letting them go. They'd always be part of her in some way, but they didn't need to shape or define the person she was now moving forward. She was ready to turn the last page in this chapter of her life.

She was tired of being Peyton, the girl with lost memories. She was so over that.

She just simply wanted to be Peyton.

That was it.

"Peyton." Jake began after the awkward lull in the conversation became too much. He then blew out a breath and finished his sentence. "Why am I here?"

Peyton shrugged her shoulders offering him a helpless look. "I guess I just wanted to see you." She spoke sadly.

"I heard about what happened." Jake revealed.

She looked up at him curiously.

"About your accident." He clarified.

"Oh." Peyton replied looking sheepishly. "You heard about that?"

Jake nodded. "Nathan told me. A bunch of us hung out the other night."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"The old team tries to get together once in awhile and I was actually able to make it this time since I'm here visiting my folks." He explained.

Peyton nodded in understanding.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to you and I' m really glad you're okay."

"Thank you." The blonde mumbled.

"Nate also kind of mentioned that you don't remember a lot of things..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm kind of guessing that's why you wanted to see me huh?"

She nodded again. "It's been...hard, being me sometimes."

Jake offered a sympathetic smile.

"I went to the reunion. I was hoping you would be there. I wanted to talk to you then too." Peyton confessed.

"We were gonna go, but then Jenny got the flu real bad and we just didn't wanna leave her." He explained.

She blew out a breath. "This is weird right? Us just sitting here like this?"

"It's a little weird." Jake said with a chuckle. "Don't get me wrong it is really good to see you Peyton. It's nice to be able to see with my own eyes that you're okay after what happened to you, but I get the feeling that we both know that I...shouldn't be here."

Peyton swallowed hard at his bluntness. "Why did you agree to see me then?"

"Honestly because you pretty much looked like you were going to fall apart when you saw me yesterday. You looked kind of lost."

Her face fell. "God I'm sorry I just..."

"No, you don't have to apologize." Jake quickly added. "I didn't mean it like that. I can't even imagine what you've been going through these last few months. It's just that I don't know if I can give you whatever it is that you're looking for Peyton...assuming that's why you're here of course. That you need something from me."

"Is it that obvious?" Peyton muttered under her breath.

"You woke up thinking we were still together. I get it. I'm not judging you or anything."

Peyton shrugged.

"It's just that by being here I don't wanna give you the wrong impression about the kind of relationship we have now. We're not part of each other's lives anymore Peyton. We let each other go a really long time ago and we haven't seen or spoken to each other since college."

"I know." She replied quietly.

"And honestly I think it should probably stay that way. I've got my own life and you do too. I don't think it would be fair to pretend otherwise."

"Because we're not friends?" Peyton said wistfully.

"No, not really. It doesn't mean I don't care about you. It just means that we've both moved on, that's all."

"Yea but I don't remember any of that."

"I know and I'm sorry. I know this isn't fair."

Peyton rubbed the bottom of her nose with the back of her hand as she lightly sniffled. "I'm so sorry. I just..."She began tearfully. "When I woke up in that hospital and you weren't there I was so scared, and then to just find out that you were suddenly not part of my life anymore...it was really hard. Even though Brooke was there I still felt really alone because the only person that I thought really understood me at the time was just gone and I couldn't even talk to you about it."

"I wouldn't have been able to change anything for you Peyton." Jake gently pointed.

"I know...I guess I just thought that if I saw you that maybe I'd feel a little more like me again. The girl that was a little less lost and a little more courageous. For awhile I didn't really feel like I was me. It felt like I was trapped in someone else's body. Trapped in someone else's life and every once in a while it still feels like that."

"Well do you? Do you feel more like you now that we're here?"

Peyton gave a sad smile. "I don't know...I guess I'm still kind of processing over here. Part of me still can't believe that you're really here right now."

She stopped, taking in a deep breath before loudly huffing out the air trapped inside her lungs.

"I always used to think that we were gonna be together forever. That you were the guy I was gonna marry because we were meant to be together and then Brooke said that you met someone else..."

"Peyton – "

"Were you with her when we were still together?" Peyton questioned timidly.

"No. I never crossed that line." Jake replied sternly. "I never lied about that. I wouldn't have done that to you. God Peyton I loved you too. I loved you so much. You're the first girl I ever loved and you're always gonna be special to me. We tried to make it work. We held on for as long as we could, probably longer than we should have, but it just didn't work. We outgrew each other and drifted apart. It happens."

"But you must have had some feelings for her along the way." The blonde accused. How else would they have drifted apart otherwise?

Jake's mouth opened to speak, but then he hesitated. He looked guilty.

"You did fall for her when we were still together." Peyton concluded. The realization hurt a little more than expected. Jake really had left her for another woman.

Jake closed his eyes and groaned. "Fuck. I'm sorry. Listen I was a stupid kid back then and I guess deep down inside I knew there were feelings there, but I was in denial because I didn't want to hurt you and I did still love you at the time. But looking back on it now I should have told you. I should have been honest with you. You deserved the truth and I was too chicken shit to admit it because I really didn't want to hurt you more than I knew I had. It's probably one of the biggest regrets I have when it comes to us and I am sorry Peyton. And I know Nicki wasn't exactly friendly to you and I'm sorry for that as well. She's sorry too. She's grown up a lot since and she regrets it."

"I don't even remember her." Peyton reminded him.

"I know, thought you should still know though."

She slowly nodded. "Do you think we'd still be together if you hadn't met her?"

Jake shrugged. "I don't really think about that. I don't really want to." He replied honestly. "I'm happy Peyton. I love my life, and my wife, and my daughter. They make me complete. You weren't the one I was meant to be with and I wasn't the guy for you either. You get that don't you?"

"Yea. I do. I'm not crazy you know. I don't have this weird expectation of us getting back together." She informed him. "This new life that I have it's pretty good actually. I have an awesome job and I'm actually really good at it, and the best part is that people fetch me coffee, not the other way around like when I was interning in LA."

Jake laughed. "God you hated that."

"I SO hated that." She giggled before continuing on. "And I have really good friends in my life and I also have Lucas." The blonde paused. She wasn't sure if Jake knew about Lucas. "Lucas is..."

"Your husband." Jake finished teasingly. "I know that you're married Peyton."

"I wasn't sure." She shrugged a bit embarrassed.

"I heard through the grapevine a few years back when you got married. Though imagine my surprise to hear that it was Lucas Scott, talk about random. But I always remembered him being a standup guy in high school. I was happy for you. Does he make you happy?" Jake asked sincerely.

A giant grin formed on Peyton's face as she nodded enthusiastically. "He does. He's really good to me and I'm happy. It's been hard getting to know him all over again, but it's been worth it."

"He's the one for you." Jake simply stated.

Peyton sheepishly smiled and nodded again. "I think so."

"Then what are you even doing here? Go home to your husband Peyton. You don't need me."

"Huh?"

"All I'm saying is that you wanted to get back some semblance or familiarness of who you were before your accident right? You want to feel connected to the person you've become so that you could move on right?"

"Well yes..."

Jake grinned. "Well who's gonna know you better? The man you've been with for the past few years or that loser ex that you haven't dated in like seven years?"

Peyton gave him an incredulous look before she busted out laughing. That was one of the good things about Jake. He'd always been able to make her laugh even through the hardest of situations. It was nice to see that hadn't changed. He really was still the same old Jake.

"I may have known you back then Peyton, but I don't know anything about the woman you've become now, but I bet Lucas does. Go home to your husband Peyton. If anyone is gonna make you feel whole again it's him. Not me."

Peyton slowly nodded. He was right and she had been too stubborn to realize it up until now.

Her hand reached across the table and she placed it over Jake's. "Thank you." With tears still in her eyes she offered him an earnest smile.

"For what?"

"Being honest with me." Peyton replied before retracting her hand. "I feel like it's okay to move on now." She confessed. "There's nothing really holding me back anymore."

Jake was about to respond, but his phone buzzed interrupting him. "Well looks like my ride is here." He announced after reading the text he'd received. "Nicki's out front with the car. We really gotta start making our way back to Georgia."

Peyton nodded.

"Sorry." He said apologetically.

"No it's okay. It was nice of you to squeeze me in. I really appreciate it Jake. You didn't have to agree to see me."

They both stood up.

"You wanna come out and meet Nicki and Jenny?" Jake offered as he slipped on his coat.

Peyton shook her head. "Thanks, but it's probably best I don't." There really was no need to force that awkward interaction.

Jake nodded in understanding. "Well I guess this is it then?" After this the likelihood of them ever seeing each other again was basically zero.

"Yea, I guess so."

"Take care of yourself Peyton."

"You too Jake."

"I hope I was able to give you what you're looking for, at least a little."

"More than you realize."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Peyton watched Jake exit the café. He gave her a small wave before walking out.

She had finally done it.

She was finally able to let him go.

And although Peyton felt emotional and a little sad over the death of her past relationship, much to her surprise she also felt pretty okay too. It was like this dead weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could finally let go and be free from it. Seeing Jake only confirmed what she had known all along.

That Lucas was the one for her.

She couldn't wait to get home tonight and be his over and over again.

She was determined to tear down those last few walls that she had built and let herself love Lucas the way he deserved to be. It wouldn't be long now. Peyton could feel it in her heart.

* * *

 **Present Day**

She lasted maybe all of five minutes before jumping out of their bed. She just couldn't take it. The lingering smell of him is too much for her to handle. Despite how badly her body is screaming at her for sleep, Peyton doesn't think she can ever sleep in there again without him. It feels so empty without him. She feels so empty.

What she's really hoping is that all of this is just a dream. That she'll wake up from this nightmare and everything will be right back to the way it's supposed to be. She's there. And Lucas is there. And they're happy.

It seemed like a cruel twist of fate now that Jake is out of her life – and out of her system – for good, is when suddenly everything turns to shit. Just when Peyton was finally ready to put her past behind her, it only seemed to put her future with Lucas in jeopardy.

The irrational side of her wanted to place all the blame on her ex. How dare Jake show up and ruin all the hard work she had put into her new relationship with Lucas? How dare he show up at her coffee shop especially around the same time she happened to be there? How dare he agree to meet up with her the next day? He could have easily said no. Why was he even back in Tree Hill anyway, surely his parents could have gone to visit him in Savannah? Because of him now Lucas absolutely hated her. It was all Jake's fault.

Peyton allowed those negative thoughts to cross her brain for about half a second before shaking them off completely, obviously aware of how ridiculous it was to even let her mind wander in that direction. This wasn't Jake's fault. This was a case of bad karma hitting her square in the chest for keeping all this from her husband. At the time she thought keeping this secret had been the right thing to do, the less hurtful thing to do, but the blonde knew now that it had been a grave mistake. She was in this mess because of her lies and the regret weighed heavily against her heart.

Had she told Lucas from the very beginning, perhaps the situation now would have been different between them. No doubt Lucas still would have been upset from the news, but at least that wouldn't have included the added layer of betrayal that he was experiencing now. And he probably would have eventually supported her even if he didn't necessarily support the decision itself. He had understood her need to speak with Jake back when she had wanted to go to her college reunion, which meant he probably would have still somewhat understood now. She should have realized that sooner, but honestly everything good about that LA trip had been overshadowed by their horrific fight and those were the mistakes she had been trying to prevent. It had only made everything worse. Their LA fight seemed to pale in comparison with last night's.

Last night he had caught her off guard and everything after that had escalated so quickly, each passing moment between them growing progressively worse.

* * *

 **12 Hours Ago**

Peyton wiped her tear-stained face for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"You should have told me." Lucas states for the second time and she can't help but silently agree.

She's fucked up majorly. Lucas is furious, but mostly he just looks betrayed and pained – and that's much worse in her book. Those are the emotions that are much more difficult to come back from. She would know seeing how she's kind of an expert in that area.

She's basically frozen in place, not really sure what to say to Lucas next as he continues to flash his blue eyes at her, his nostrils slightly flaring every so often.

Eventually Lucas speaks up again. "My book tour got moved up." He announces quietly. After submitting his novel, the publishers had pushed for an even quicker release date. Lucas' new book would be out early next month and he was suppose to start promoting it at the end of this month. "Lindsey called this morning and they've added a couple more interviews and meet and greets. I need to be back in New York in two days."

Peyton's eyes widened in shock. "But...you aren't supposed to leave for another week and a half!" She exclaimed unhappily. This all feels too rushed and she doesn't like it not one bit.

Lucas shrugged. "I'm under contract Peyton I can't exactly say no. That's why I stopped by your job today so we could talk about it. I was gonna ask you to come with me." He pauses, sighing and running a hand through his messy locks. "But I'm thinking maybe that's not such a good idea anymore."

Another long pause.

Another sigh.

"Maybe it's best if we're apart for a little while...give us time to figure things out."

Her eyes grow even larger in absolute horror. Time apart? That was the very last thing they needed right now. Had he gone insane?

"You can't just leave Lucas. Not like this. Please don't walk away from us like this, not without us fixing things first." Peyton was afraid that if Lucas left now things between them would never be the same.

Lucas slapped a hand over his mouth in frustration. It was in his nature to come to his wife's rescue and tell her everything was going to be alright, but this time he just didn't have it in him. For the first time ever he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel and that included what had happened in LA. His faith in this relationship was surprisingly absent. The blond was tired of fighting. He was tired of hoping for something that didn't seem like it would ever come.

She was never going to love him. At least not like before.

"Please let me come with you Lucas." Peyton implored. She was getting desperate. "Maybe some time away together could...help. Just give me a chance to prove to you that you're the only one I want."

It all sounded good in theory, but honestly hadn't he given her enough chances already?

"I don't think I can do this anymore Peyton."

He didn't want to feel like this anymore. He didn't want to feel like the runner up when it came to Peyton. He didn't want to think that they didn't belong together, but maybe it was time to let her go and stop forcing them to be together. The accident had ruined them and maybe it was time that he accepted that. Maybe that's what was best for both of them in the long run.

Lucas had whispered the statement, but Peyton's ears had caught every single word. The sad tone laced in his words was enough for her to understand what he really meant. Her heart broke instantly.

Peyton swallowed thickly. "You don't wanna be with me anymore?" She choked out in devastation.

Lucas' lips twisted slightly. Never in a million years did he think they'd find themselves here. "Not if it's always going to be like this." He replied choosing his words carefully. "Not if I have to keep competing with the ghost of your past relationship over and over again. I can't live like that Peyton. We can't live like this."

"Lucas –"

"That's why I think some time apart will be good for us, help us figure out what we really want."

"How can you say that?!" Peyton shook her head profusely. "No I don't believe that. You love me and I don't believe for a second that you don't wanna be with me. You want me just as much as I want you."

Lucas shoulders slumped in defeat. "Maybe that's not enough anymore." He spoke sadly.

"Bullshit."

"I don't know what else you want me to say Peyton."

"You don't wanna be with me?" Peyton repeated the question as she wiped more tears off her face, her voice trembling.

Lucas observed the anguished look she wore. This was killing him too, tearing him apart from the inside. Of course he loved her, but he just didn't know how to get past this hurdle. "I've been trying Peyton, I really have. I've been trying so damn hard to keep us together, but I don't know if I can keep doing this. I don't know if I can keep my promise to you. I tried...but you haven't made it easy."

Peyton made a face. "What are you talking about Lucas? What promise?" She had no idea what he was referring to.

 _"Just promise me something."_

 _"Anything."_

 _"No matter what life throws our way promise me you'll never give up on me or us. I promise to do the same because I love you Lucas Scott and I know we're gonna be together forever."_

 _"I promise."_

Lucas shrugs his shoulders, shaking off that specific memory of them from almost two years ago. "It doesn't matter anymore." He said blowing out a breath. "It's not like you can remember it anyway. What good is it now?"

Peyton quickly spun around from him, her hands covering her mouth as another sob threatened to escape past the confines of her throat. She paced back and forth a few times not know what else to do. She couldn't believe this was actually happening right now. Lucas had every right to be upset with her, but she'd never thought he would actually suggest breaking up.

"Is this because I haven't said _it_ yet." She accused, spinning back around to face Lucas.

Lucas tightly pressed his lips together. He'd be lying if he said that wasn't part of the problem. If she just loved him then maybe he wouldn't be feeling so insecure in their relationship when it came to Jake.

"That's not fair Lucas!" She cried.

 _"Whenever you're ready Peyton. I can wait. You loved me once and I know you'll be able to feel it again someday. So I'll wait…I'll wait for you."_

"You said you would wait as long as it takes." The blonde reminded him.

"Maybe I was just lying to myself the whole time. Guess you're not the only liar in this relationship."

She flinched from the sting his words left behind.

"I just don't understand how you can love him, but not me." Lucas added bitterly. "I've been here for you the whole time Peyton. Not him. Me."

"You're wrong. I'm not in love with Jake. Not anymore." She replied through tears. "And seeing him again only confirmed that."

"Yea, but you don't love me either, do you?"

"That's not...that's not it. It's not that simple and you know it." The blonde stuttered nervously. She wasn't ready.

"It's a simple yes or no question Peyton."

"Don't do this." Peyton gritted through her teeth. "Don't pressure me like this. It's not right."

Lucas huffed in disbelief. "Nothing about this is right Peyton. I. Trusted. You. Again. I gave you a second chance and for some reason you think it's okay for you to keep shitting all over this relationship that we've been rebuilding. You don't respect me and you sure as hell don't respect this marriage."

Peyton's eyes fell to the ground in shame.

"Do you even want to be married to me?"He struggled to ask the question, but he needed to know.

Her eyes shot back up in his direction and she gasped. "How can you even ask me that? Of course I do!"

"I've been good to you Peyton. Far more than you deserved at times, so why is it so difficult for you to really be here with me? What else do I have to do to prove to you that I'm the guy for you? Why can't you let yourself love me? Why can't you give me your heart unconditionally? And why do I keep setting myself up to be disappointed?" Lucas spoke dejectedly, his eyes brimmed with tears of his own.

Peyton remained silent. She didn't dare open her mouth positive it would only make things worse.

Lucas scoffed and shook his head. This was really it. "I'm gonna go to the house and pack my things for the trip. I'll stay somewhere else tonight and then I'm gonna head to New York a day early."

"Lucas –" Peyton tried to interject, but he really wasn't trying to hear it.

"You should stay at the house while I'm gone and when I get back...I guess we can sort out living arrangements then."

Peyton's jaw dropped in shock. "Living arrangements?" She scoffed feeling hurt. "You know what Lucas, don't do me any favors!" She angrily spat out, though the tears kept flowing. "I can find somewhere else to live all on my own." In an instant the blonde had turned her back on him and was stomping over to her car.

Enraged, Lucas was right at her heels. His hand fell behind her shoulder and he spun Peyton back around and started yelling. "No. You don't get to be mad Peyton. You don't get to be mad at me. I'm the one who gets to be angry here. ME. NOT YOU. You fucked up." He tightly clenched his fists. "So fucking deal with it."

She scoffed again, crossing her arms over her chest.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you want Peyton. Stay at the house or don't stay at the house. I really just don't care anymore. I'm done." He leaves Peyton and heads over to his car.

Peyton's still angry, but really it's just mostly pain disguised as fury. She doesn't want this to be over and he shouldn't want it to be either. She couldn't believe how far south this conversation had spiraled.

The anger coursing through her veins is short-lived. The closer Lucas moves towards his car, the further away he moves from her and it seems to hit her all over again. He really is walking away from this.

Peyton chases after Lucas just as he's slipping inside the front seat. "Lucas wait, please. Can't we just talk about this please?" She sobs loudly. "Just please give me a chance. I can fix this. I know I can. Don't go. Please."

He ignores her and proceeds to stick the key in the ignition, bringing the car to life.

She continues to beg. "I need you."

Lucas ignores her pleas, refusing to look at her and then he drives away.

* * *

 **Present Day**

She should have gone after Lucas last night and followed him home. She should have forced him to hear her out, instead of sitting in her car for most of the night, crying her eyes out at the river court, while binge eating on the cold Chinese food that they never got into. She was mad at herself for letting her fear get the best of her and keeping her away from the house. She tried calling him a couple of times late last night, but they all went straight to his voicemail. She didn't bother leaving a message. What could she say really? She had lost him.

Sighing heavily, Peyton's hands run through some of the empty hangers in the closet where some of Lucas' clothes had been hanging, mostly his suits and dress shirts. She had already checked the dresser where some of his clothes were also notably absent, confirming that he had indeed packed for his trip and skipped town without her. He probably spent last night over at Haley's or maybe even at Skills' if he was really trying to keep a low profile. Knowing Haley she probably would have harassed Lucas with endless questions over what had happened.

The more Peyton thought about Lucas the more suffocating the room seemed to become. She quickly exits the bedroom, but it doesn't seem to help much. The whole house is unbearable at the moment. It hurts too much and she shouldn't be here.

Going into work today was not an option. Peyton was not in the mindset for that and she couldn't stay inside this house right now, which left her with very few options on where she could escape next. Both Brooke's and Haley's were a big fat no. She couldn't face anyone right now. She just wanted to be alone.

That only left one option. Driving. She would just drive and see where she'd end up. It was something she had done countless times as a teen when she had desperately needed an escape.

So that was the plan then.

A couple of minutes later she's back in her car, staring at that empty house once more. Right about now all she wants is to get in Maya's face and tell her therapist that she told her so, because she was right. Something always comes along and fucks things up. People do always leave, but for once Peyton had hoped that this time around she'd be wrong.

* * *

 **A/N:** *Takes a deep breath* Okay so that chapter took a lot out of me. I even teared up a few times while writing it and it was a pretty tough one to write. I hope I did you guys proud. Please let me know!

Also, a little side note just in case readers are a bit lost. The couple of flashback lines that refer to the promise that Lucas had made to Peyton is from all the way back in chapter two. Since it's been awhile, in case you need that refresher check out the flashback scene in that chapter. The other little bit of Lucas saying he's willing to wait for Peyton to say I love again is more recent. It's taken from the last scene in chapter 35.

I also wanted to thank all my amazing reviewers. There's been a lot of chatter during these last two chapters and I'm loving all the love you're sending. You guys have had some really great things to say and I cherish the feedback, so please keep it coming!

Chapter Track: 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' by Elvis Presley

Until next time!


	43. Heartbreak Hotel

Reviews

 **MCNJSmiler** \- Thank you and welcome!

 **Sammy16Mia** \- At this point Peyton knows she's messed up big time. She gets why Lucas is upset with her. Thanks for reading!

 **simplyaprillyn -** You feel bad for Jake? Do tell! He's pretty much the only one who walked away from this unscathed, lol.

 **Annie** \- Thanks!

 **Happyvalley** \- So nice to hear this is still one of your favorite reads, much appreciated.

 **leyte –** Emotions were definitely high on the last one.

 **shazzle** \- Thanks for the 'dropsmic' praise, lol. There is some Breyton coming up, though I can't guarantee it'll be all rainbows and sunshine between those two just yet.

 **Talz** \- Believe me when I say it was fairly difficult to write as well.

 **itsnjm1 –** Hope the wait wasn't too long for you! It does take a lot of effort and time to write out this story so thank you for acknowledging that. Sometimes I wonder if I would've gotten this far in this story without faithful readers like yourself. Thank you.

 **jordana60 –** There's no question about it, Peyton fucked up and Lucas had every right to be upset.

 **Tpassions** \- Oh Peyton's not on a road trip, she just went for a drive at the end of that chapter – I just see it as a very Peyton thing to do. And yes Peyton and Brooke are still on the outs, so that's another relationship that she's gotta take care of. Her life is kind of a hot mess right now!

 **thibbs65 –** Hope you were able to hang in there for the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 43: Heartbreak Hotel

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina - March 2015**

For over a week now since Lucas skipped town Peyton had been staying at a motel. With the exception of picking up some clothes she hadn't been back to the house. The morning after their big fight she had spent it driving all over Tree Hill. She drove through main streets and backroads in silence as thoughts of Lucas continued to consume her while she tried to figure out her next move. She had no clue how to fix what she had broken between them.

And with Lucas gone there was no way she could continue living in that house. Everything in that house just reminds her of Lucas and it was too overpowering for the blonde, leaving her completely incapacitated and unable to breath or think properly. She can barely function as it is and staying in that house would have only made things worse.

The worst part of all this is that she hasn't heard from Lucas. All her attempts to contact him have gone unanswered. She's been calling him nonstop. Has sent texts and emails, not to mention the embarrassing trail of voicemails she's left in his inbox.

Haley had sent a text filling her in that Lucas had spent the night at her place before heading to New York the next day and that was pretty much the only update Peyton had received on Lucas since their fight. The only thing Peyton did know for sure was that Lucas was in Seattle right now and she only knew that because his book tour schedule had been posted up on the fridge. Lucas had hung it there a few weeks ago and Peyton had snatched the schedule on her way out of the house after deciding she couldn't live there anymore.

In the aftermath of Lucas' departure the blonde had pretty much kept to herself. She didn't bother responding to Haley's text about Lucas or the other dozen or so messages that have followed since then. She pretty much hadn't left her room at all.

A sharp knock alerts the blonde that there's someone behind the door. She ignores it at first and buried herself deeper under the covers. No one knows where she's been staying so it couldn't be anyone important on the other side of that door. Maybe housekeeping? Though Peyton could have swore she had placed a 'do not disturb' sign over the doorknob.

Another knock followed.

A highly irritated Peyton reluctantly climbs out of bed, not before grumbling all the way to the door. She swung it open and was surprised to find Nathan standing there. If anyone was going to locate her she would have betted on Haley. That girl was relentless when it really counted.

Nathan's eyes wandered up and down as he took in Peyton's disheveled appearance. Her hair was wild and all over the place and her clothes were a wrinkled mess. Her face looked blotchy, red, and tired with the dark circles she wore under her dull green eyes.

"You look like ass." He wouldn't be surprised if she probably smelled like it too.

The blonde frowned unamused. "Gee, thanks." She replied, her voice alive with sarcasm. She then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "How did you find me anyway?"

"Drove all over town until I spotted your car. The mail piling up on your porch made it clear that you haven't been staying at home." He explained. "Why aren't you staying at your house?"

"Go away Nathan." She moved to shut him out, but Nathan placed a firm hand against the door to stop her.

"Not happening. No one has heard from you in over a week. You won't answer your phone, you haven't been to work, Haley's been worried sick and so am I."

"I just want to be left alone." She tells him trying to keep on a straight face because she doesn't want to crack underneath his gaze. The last thing Peyton wants is to break down in front of another ex-boyfriend.

"But you shouldn't be alone Peyton."

"Why do you even care?" She snapped still not getting why he was even here right now. Perhaps they had been close before her accident, but not so much now. She didn't see Nathan much since he was always away.

Nathan sent the blonde a stern look. "Because we're family."

"Just please go away." Peyton whispered heartbroken. She was hurting all over and she preferred to do it in peace.

"Sorry but I can't do that. I know you're hurting right now but the last thing you need is to be left alone right now. You've had all week for that now let me in."

"I don't need _you_." She answered coldly.

"Fine then I'll get you someone else. I'll call Haley right now or Brooke."

"Don't you dare." Peyton cried out in panic. As much as she loved Haley she was in no mood to be smothered by her friend's attentions, and as for Brooke, well she still hadn't made up with the brunette and was too embarrassed to reach out to her now.

"Then let me in." Nathan insisted.

"Fine." Peyton gritted leaving her little choice but to step aside and allow Nathan to enter her temporary sanctuary.

"I don't want to talk about him." She announced after Nathan had made himself comfortable and sat on the edge of the mattress. She watched him carefully with her back against the door, arms crossed over her chest, a feeble attempt to appear tough when in reality she was seconds away from falling apart all over again. Nathan's presence was a threat to her fragile state.

Nathan glanced around the room. "I can't believe you've been staying in this shit hole all week." He commented respecting Peyton's wishes not to bring up the topic of his brother. "Why are you staying here and not at home?" He questioned once more.

Peyton shrugged and her eyes dropped to look at the ground. Her vulnerability was showing and she didn't like it, not one bit. "I can't stay there Nate. I just can't."

"You could have stayed at our house." Nathan pointed out.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Right." She replied skeptically.

"Why not?"

"He's your brother Nate and Haley's best friend."

Peyton groaned unhappily. Here they were opening up a conversation that she was trying to avoid. She didn't want to talk about Lucas right now. It hurt too much and there was nothing anyone could do or say to make her feel better.

Nathan scoffed. "So?" He challenged. "No one is taking sides here."

"Even after what I did?" She retorted.

"Doesn't mean it can't be fixed Peyton."

"He's not talking to me." Peyton revealed quietly. She absolutely hated the look of pity that took over Nathan's features.

"Just give him a little time." Nathan reassured her. "He'll come around."

"I don't think he will." The blonde whispered to herself.

"Let's get you back to your house." Nathan calmly suggested.

"I can't Nate." She had an anguished look across her face.

"Well you can't just live here." He argued.

"I'll figure it out." She stubbornly replied.

"Go stay with Haley then. She misses you and you should really get back to work anyway. It'll help you keep busy."

Peyton shook her head. "Work is the last thing..."

"Just go stay with Haley." Nathan ordered.

Peyton paused. There was something off. She could tell.

"Wait up. Why do you keep saying, stay with Haley? And not come stay with us?" She probed him.

Nathan ran a hand through his dark raven locks and sighed, his chest falling.

"Because Haley kind of kicked me out of the house." He grudgingly answered before pursing his lips in dissatisfaction.

Her jaw dropped. "What? When?" She questioned hardly believing it. This was a couple she considered to be pretty solid for the most part. Apparently even the strongest relationships were just falling apart these days.

"Earlier today."

"Why? What did you do?" The blonde accused in immediate defense of Haley.

Nathan cringed. "I kind of accidently told the Chicago Bulls I'd sign with them before running it by Haley first."

"How the hell do accidently do that?" Peyton looked at her brother-in-law dumbstruck. Her lips parted slightly.

Nathan groaned. "It's a long story." He replied shamefully.

"WOW. Nice work there Nate."

Nathan frowned at the clear shade Peyton was tossing his way.

"And you have the nerve to come over here and try to give me marriage advice? You have got to be kidding me." She honestly kind of wanted to hit him over the head right now.

"Hey be nice, you're no saint either. Last time I checked you were running a little low on friends, might not wanna burn another bridge." Nathan spat off sarcastically, though he was well aware that Peyton was purposefully trying to push him away and close herself off. She was far too predictable sometimes.

Peyton irritability mumbled something under her breath and then huffed loudly.

Nathan ignored her childish behavior. "ANYWAYS, you think I could maybe stay at your place until this thing with Hales blows over?" He figured that if he offered to stay with Peyton then maybe she'd be willing to go back home.

Also he kind of did need a place to crash in the meantime. The Bobcat's season was officially over since they didn't make it very far into the playoffs this year.

"I think the room next door is available." Peyton offered deadpanned.

Nathan scoffed. "I'm not staying in this dump. Pack your shit, we're going back to your place."

"I'm not going anywhere." Peyton firmly stated.

Nathan sighed. "Peyton I'll be right there with you. Let me help you." He said calmly. "You don't have to go through this alone."

Her green eyes closed up and she shook her head. He just wasn't getting it and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"Don't you get it Nathan? I don't want your help! I don't want anyone's help! I just want to be left alone!" She snapped.

"So you can keep punishing yourself?"

"It's not like I don't deserve it." Peyton mumbled full of self-pity.

"And that's gonna help you get Lucas back how?" Nathan snapped.

Peyton snapped her lips shut. The mention of his name had her clamming up all over again. She failed in fighting off the tears that filled her eyes.

Nathan's face fell, abandoning the bed and rushing over to Peyton's side. He hadn't meant to be so harsh with her, but she was stubborn as hell. He placed a hand on both her shoulders. "Peyton." He called out trying to get her attention.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She insisted tearfully, her back still glued against the door as she avoided Nathan's gaze.

"No you're not. You are not okay and it's okay to admit that."

The blonde slouched against the door feeling absolutely helpless. She picked up her head, permitting her teary emerald eyes to look up at Nathan. "Have you talked to him?" She questioned apprehensively.

His lips formed a sad smile as he nodded his head. "Yea."

"He hates me." She stated with a pained face.

"That's not true." Nathan argued.

The blonde scoffed a response.

"Look I'm not gonna sugarcoat it Peyt. He's angry, but I also know my brother and he doesn't have it in him to hate you. He could never really hate you."

Her bottom lip began to tremble. "I don't know what to do. I just keep calling and calling...and he won't pick up the phone." She choked down a sob. "But maybe if you call him from your phone and then I can talk to him, make him hear me out, make him understand..."

Peyton looked up at Nathan hopefully as she continued to plead with him.

"Please Nate." She begged.

Nathan casted Peyton another sympathetic look. "I can't do that Peyton."

Her face broke even further.

"It's not that I don't want to..." He hesitated. It pained him to have to say no. He wanted to help Peyton, he really did, but he didn't want to betray his brother either by ambushing him over the phone when he still wasn't ready to talk to Peyton. "It's just that...he's not just angry, he's hurting right now, just like you are. I think he just needs a little more time to cool off and get his head on straight."

"But..." The blonde swallowed hard before biting down on her lower lip.

"I'll talk to him though, try to convince him." Nathan promised.

Peyton silently nodded her head. She doubted there was very little he could do to convince Lucas to hear her out. "I think I just need to be alone right now." She softly blew out as she fought off another sob. How was she going to fix this? She detested this helpless feeling.

"Peyton." Nathan began to protest.

"Please Nathan."

"Can't you just come back to the house?" He didn't want to leave her alone. She'd been left alone long enough in his opinion. He was worried that she wasn't taking care of herself physically. That she'd end up in the hospital just like last time only this time no one would be around to help her.

Peyton quickly shook her head. "I can't go back there. I just see his face everywhere in that house. I'm not strong enough right now."

Nathan sighed. He rubbed the side of his face frustrated.

"But here you can still stay there." She bypassed his tall frame and heading straight to her purse and dug out the house keys. "For as long as you need to." She added surrendering the keys over.

Nathan took them and sighed. "I wish you'd come with me."

"I can't." She repeated. "I just can't." Her voice cracked.

"I can stay with you here then." He quickly offered.

"I just wanna be by myself right now."

"Will you at least call Hales? Tell her you're okay? She's been worried."

Peyton reluctantly nodded. "Okay." She agreed.

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her. "Promise?"

"I promise." She'd agreed to anything to get Nathan gone.

* * *

"Where are you?" Haley James Scott hissed into her cell phone. She looked over her shoulder making sure that Brooke was still busy admiring some of those fancier chairs that basically looked like a royal throne.

The pair were currently at a party rental store to pick out and place the order for all the tables and chairs needed for Brooke's baby shower. Despite the fact that usually the mother-to-be was expected to relax and not worry about any sort of shower planning, Brooke Baker was too much of a control freak not to insert herself. The excitement of finally being pregnant after so many years of trying consumed every bone of her body and she had no desire to be left out of anything that involved her pregnancy.

Peyton was supposed to meet them here over fifteen minutes ago and despite sending the blonde several reminders, Haley's gut feeling was telling her that Peyton was going to be a no show. As if things weren't rocky enough between Brooke and Peyton.

So while Brooke was distracted by the chairs, Haley had discreetly tiptoed off to the side, pulling out her phone to ring the missing blonde. It took three tries before Peyton finally picked up.

 _"Huh?" She sounded groggy like she had just woken up._

"Where. Are. You?" Haley slowly repeated. "You were supposed to meet me at the party rental place like twenty minutes ago."

 _"Shit." Peyton mumbled after a long pause._

Haley rolled her eyes in annoyance. This wasn't the first time Peyton had been MIA when it came to getting things together for Brooke's shower. "How could you possibly forget? I sent you a bunch of reminders."

 _"I know. I'm sorry." She replied quietly before sighing. "I'm just...not feeling that particularly...motivated today."_

Haley sighed. She could hear the sadness in Peyton's voice. This was only the second time she had been able to get a hold of Peyton since Lucas split town. The first had been a few days ago when Peyton had phoned in to let her know that she was okay. The call however had been brief. It was clear that Peyton was avoiding any and all attempts to discuss anything Lucas-related. It worried Haley that Peyton was all by herself and shutting everyone out. It didn't come as much of a surprise that the blonde would do this, it was typical Peyton Sawyer behavior after all, but that didn't mean it still didn't bother Haley. Even though any mention of Lucas was currently off the table, Haley did manage to convince Peyton to come back to work starting next week. It was a small victory that the mother of two would gladly take.

"Listen I know things really aren't that great right now, but you can't just disappear Peyton. People are counting on you. People like Brooke for example and this isn't the first time you've bailed on planning for the shower. Plus keeping busy right now is exactly what you need instead of completely isolating yourself from the rest of us."

She could hear Peyton sadly sigh over the line once more.

 _"Could you just cover for me please?"_

"All I've done is cover for you Peyton." Haley reminded her. Peyton had been slacking on her baby shower duties long before Lucas had left her.

 _"Please Haley. I just...could you not just tell Brooke about this, about today?"_

"Yea I don't think I'm gonna be able to do that..." Haley replied as her eyes wandered back over to Brooke. "Considering she's right here. She wanted to tag along today remember?"

Peyton said nothing.

"She's gonna be really upset if you bail again. Can't you just throw some clothes on and get over here? Better late than a no show."

 _"Haley..."_

Haley blew out a breath. She knew what that meant. "Are you at least still gonna come back to work on Monday?" She questioned.

 _"Uh maybe..."_

Haley quickly cut in. "No I don't wanna hear that crap. You promised."

 _"Fine." Peyton relented not wanting to get into it._

"I don't mean to be harsh, it's just that people are counting on you Peyton." Haley said dropping her rough tone into a much calmer one. "We need you and more importantly we're here for you."

 _"I'll be there Haley." Peyton assured her. She appreciated Haley's kind words and supportiveness, but it still felt a bit weird to confide in Lucas' best friend at the moment. "And I'm sorry about today."_

"Don't be. Just show your face on Monday alright?" There was no point in lecturing the blonde over the phone. Haley only hoped she could knock some sense into her stubborn head once the two were finally face to face.

 _"Okay."_

"Okay then." Haley replied seemingly pleased. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go face the wrath of a certain very pregnant friend of ours." She teased. "You so owe me by the way."

After ending her call with Peyton, Haley rejoined Brooke, who was still busy admiring her royal throne like chair for the shower.

"What do you think about this one?" She questioned while pointing to a love seat that was big enough to fit herself and Julian.

Haley gulped. "Well it certainly is something..." She diplomatically answered knowing it was far too showy for Julian's taste, but at the end of the day everyone knew that Brooke was the boss.

"Oh but that one has glitter!" Brooke squealed as she moved towards another fancier chair. "Oh my god and there's a matching table. We can put all the presents on here!"

"Oh boy." Haley mumbled discreetly. This love seat was obnoxiously large. Apparently Brooke was dead set on being displayed at the shower like the Queen of England, which made all the guests her loyal subjects.

"What do you think?" Brooke turned her face towards Haley. Her hazel eyes shimmered brightly and the grin she wore took up her entire face.

How could she say no to that face?

"I think it's perfect." Haley replied with a smile. If this is what Brooke wanted then Haley was more than happy to appease her wishes. It was a small price to pay for the excitement and happiness it brought to her friend.

Brooke proudly nodded her head. "Me too."

The smile on Haley's face dropped realizing she still had to tell Brooke about Peyton. " So listen..." She began.

"She's not coming is she." Brooke interjected. The tone of her voice was firm and cold.

Haley's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She'd been caught quickly.

"You really think I didn't notice you going off to call Peyton?" Brooke revealed. "What's the excuse this time?"

Haley bit her bottom lip, looking guilty.

"She...hasn't been feeling herself these days. Considering everything that's happened we can't really hold it against her."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Just sounds convenient to me."

Haley was a little taken aback at Brooke's harshness. She knew the two weren't in the best of places, but she had still expected Brooke to be there for her best friend or sympathetic at the very least.

"She's hurting Brooke. Lucas left and she just doesn't know what to do now."

"So Lucas is gone for a couple of weeks on a book tour and it's the end of the world now?" Brooke sarcastically declared. "Something tells me that she'll survive. Luke will be back before she knows it and they can go back to being all over each other and ignoring the rest of us. Besides has no one told Peyton about a little thing called facetime?"

Haley's confusion was evident as her face scrunched up. Brooke would never be this insensitive and also she just wasn't making much sense.

"Brooke when's the last time you spoke to Peyton?" Haley found herself wondering.

Brooke shrugged. "I mean not counting the group emails and texts, I guess I haven't really seen or spoke to her since Lucas' surprise birthday dinner." The brunette admitted.

"Oh my god you don't know."

Haley had just assumed that Brooke had been updated on all the craziness that had been going on lately. She'd been so busy herself dealing separately with both Lucas and Peyton, and not to mention dealing with her own marriage issues that it had totally slipped Haley's mind to check in with Brooke.

"Don't know what?" Brooke said cautiously and wore a frown. She wasn't one for being out of the loop. The worrisome look on Haley's face in turn made her worry.

Haley stepped forward and took a seat on the ridiculously oversized loveseat Brooke had picked out. "Lucas didn't just leave town." A pause. "He left Peyton." Another pause. "He kind of ended things between them." She added sadly. The shock still hadn't worn off. Haley herself was still in denial.

Brooke's face twisted horribly as her brain attempted to process this information. "Left her?" She barked out angrily. "What the hell are you talking about? What do you _mean_ he _left_ her?" She questioned harshly. Despite their rocky state Brooke's protectiveness over her best friend was coming off loud and clear. It was unmistakable.

"He made it seem like he was kind of done. For good this time." Though Haley hoped in her heart that it wasn't true. "Peyton messed up. Big time."

"And I don't know how to help her Brooke...I don't know how to help him. It's really bad."

Brooke dropped down to sit beside Haley. "What the hell happened?" She gritted angrily.

Haley took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself, and began recounting the night Lucas showed up at her door a complete emotional wreck.

* * *

An hour later Brooke was fiercely pounding with both fists on the door of Peyton's motel room.

She was furious.

Haley had explained the whole ordeal. Well Lucas' side of the story anyway because apparently Peyton had decided to shut everyone out including her.

She was angry that Peyton hadn't come to her. And she was even angrier to learn how utterly stupid her best friend was. How was it possible to screw up this badly?

Haley had no clue where Peyton was currently staying since the blonde refused to tell her, so after leaving Haley to handle things at the party rental place, Brooke had headed straight to Lucas and Peyton's in search of Nathan.

Nathan and Haley on the outs was yet another startling piece of news the brunette was forced to swallow this afternoon once Haley had fessed up.

What the hell? Was everyone's marriage falling apart these days?

And why was she the last to know?

Her friends kind of sucked.

She'd found Nathan at the house in the middle of his lunch. Like Haley, he didn't have much to offer in terms of what in the world was going on in Peyton's head. The blonde had refused to talk about what had happened. Since the day Nathan had located Peyton, he had dropped by every single day in hopes of luring her out of her crappy room, but he'd been unsuccessful. Peyton wouldn't budge. She was broken.

Brooke continued to pound her fists against the door. She wasn't past breaking down the damn door if Peyton was going to be this childish and not answer. Peyton's Comet was parked out front so she was definitely still in there hiding away from the world.

The door swung open wildly. "I swear to god Nathan – " Peyton stopped short at the sight of her best friend. Her fury was replaced with genuine surprise and an uneasy feeling of dread.

She gulped.

"Brooke." Peyton spoke, her voice a little shaky.

Brooke however was still angry. "Jake?! Really?! Again?!" She cried out scolding Peyton. "Are you that stupid?"

Peyton's head dropped down in shame. Her eyes fixated on the dark grey socks that covered her feet.

"If you're here to tell me what a terrible person I am, trust me I've got that part covered just fine on my own. There isn't anything you could say that I haven't already said to myself."

Brooke pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth. She took in a deep breath. "What the hell were you thinking Peyton?" She blew out, her tone a little less angry. "How could you just do that to Luke?"

"I get it. I'm a horrible person." Peyton choked out tearfully. "You hate me and now everyone hates me including Lucas...and now I've lost him forever so please just leave me alone. Just forget about me...because I hate me too and I deserve this. I deserve to be alone."

Brooke tightly pressed her lips shut.

"Don't come back okay?" Peyton requested as she took a step back inside the room getting ready to close the door.

Brooke frowned in anger. "Excuse you, but I'm not anywhere near done with you Peyton and I am not going anywhere." She announced as she rudely bumped Peyton out of the doorway. "So tough shit." The very pregnant brunette added as she waddled her way inside the room.

Peyton's protests fell on deaf ears as Brooke proceeded to make herself comfortable.

"God my feet are killing me." Brooke complained as she shed her coat and flung it and her purse over a chair. She plopped herself on the bed and quickly removed her flats. She frowned looking down at her swollen feet. Her toes looked like straight up sausages no thanks to the twins.

Peyton stood idly by awaiting Brooke's wrath.

"I can't believe you've been holed up in this dump for almost two weeks." Brooke stated as she looked around the basic motel room in disgust pretty much mirroring Nathan's reaction a few days prior. "You know you're not exactly hurting for cash Peyton you could afford something a little nicer."

"This place is just fine." Peyton gritted not at all in the mood to be judged over her accommodation choices. All she needed was a bed to sleep in not some four star hotel with a fancy hot tub.

"Just saying." Brooke spoke and shrugged. She lifted her feet onto the bed not wanting to touch the floor of this place with her bare feet.

"Brooke why are you here?" Peyton demanded to know.

"Because I'm pissed at you."

"You've been pissed at me for sometime now." She reminded Brooke.

"And your point being?"

Peyton sighed. She wasn't arguing that Brooke didn't have every right to be upset with her, but now really wasn't the time. The blonde just wasn't in the mindset for that heavy conversation right now. Her friendship with Brooke was important. It meant the world to her, but the only thing Peyton wanted right now was Lucas. Not her best friend, not his best friend, and not his brother. She just wanted him.

Lucas was the one she wanted standing in front of her at this very moment.

"So what now?" Peyton wondered.

"I'm hungry." Brooke blurted out.

"Okay..." Peyton replied slightly thrown off at the sudden change of topic.

"Actually more like starving." She announced as she patted her large belly. "You better have some menus laying around."

"I guess I do..."

"Well get them." The brunette commanded.

Peyton silently obeyed and began collecting a couple of takeout menus scattered across the room.

"So first we're gonna order me food, and then you're gonna sit your skinny ass in that chair and you're gonna start from the _very_ beginning."

"Brooke..."

Brooke ignored the interruption and continued her speech. "And _then_ you're gonna tell me why in the _hell_ I had to find all this nonsense out from Haley and not directly from the source." She spat out her anger rising once more.

"Last time I checked you weren't really talking to me Brooke!" Peyton defended.

"That is not an excuse Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer and you know it! I don't care if someone's holding a gun up to your head forbidding you from speaking to me! You come to me no matter what! Especially when it's shit this big. I'm not just anybody Peyton. I'm your best friend. You and me have been family way longer than you and Luke, Haley, or Nathan. So do not come at me with that weak bullshit just because we're technically in a fight right now."

Peyton swallowed hard.

"I've been there for you for most of your life. You owe it to me to be honest with me. Always." The tone of her voice made it obvious that Brooke was still angry, but she was on the verge of tears as well. All of this was very upsetting to her. "I wouldn't have pushed you away if you had just came to me Peyton."

"Brooke..." Peyton softly called out her name. As if she didn't feel like a horrible enough person already.

"Did you find the menus yet?" Brooke said dismissively as she recomposed herself and used her fingertips to wipe underneath her hazel eyes.

Peyton's shoulders slumped. She didn't even have it in her to comfort Brooke right now. She really was the worst.

"Yea." She answered in defeat and handed them over before finally sitting down. She placed her hands over her lap and began to fidget with them.

"Are we gonna be okay?" She questioned hesitantly while Brooke continued to peruse the menus in her hands.

"I'm still mad at you." Brooke admitted quietly. She wasn't going to pretend that everything between them was suddenly okay, but the brunette was willing to push it aside for now. They had a lot of things to work out and it would have to wait.

"I know." Peyton said sadly. "So is this some kind of ceasefire or something." She joked poorly.

Brooke shrugged. "Yea. I guess you can call it that."

* * *

So in this chapter Peyton pushes everyone away while she continues to struggle with the consequences of her decisions and everyone else isn't too pleased about that.

Next up we'll check in with Lucas, and Peyton comes across some interesting items from her past.

If you have a moment please click on that button below and review your little hearts out! Feedback is everything and gives me all the feels:) Thanks guys and Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time.

Chapter Track: 'Heartbreak Hotel' by Elvis Presley


	44. Love Letters

Reviews

 **secondstarontheright –** I think it's safe to say we all want Peyton to snap out of it! But yea she's avoiding and simply stuck in self-loathing. And you're absolutely right, her behavior had everything to do with the fact that Peyton still feels like she's nineteen. There's a certain level of emotional maturity that's gone because of her amnesia. And yes about Brooke! She's just totally that best friend that will be there for you no matter what while still giving you the good kick you deserve.

 **Annie** \- Lol, glad to be here with your latest fix!

 **leyte –** I've always enjoyed Nathan with a little edge. Not full blown asshole like in season 1, but with just enough swagger.

 **Tpassions –** Yea they were totally back to fine before and then Nathan kind of ruined it. There'll be more on that later.

 **Guest** \- lol so much angst!

 **Guest –** Thank you! Glad you're enjoying both of my stories.

 **jordana60 -** Yea I've sprinkled bits of Pathan throughout this story just because in general Nathan's a pretty straight to the point guy and it's exactly what Peyton needs right now. More moments between those two are coming up.

 **shazzles –** I gave you some major feels! Always a compliment :)

 **thibbs65 –** Poor Nathan just got a little ahead of himself. You'll find out what exactly happened soon.

* * *

Chapter 44: Love Letters

It's a week later and Peyton has reluctantly returned to work. Not because she really wants to or because of Haley's relentless nagging.

But Haley was right. People were counting on her and she did have a business to run and talented artists that depended on her to do her damn job. Their careers were in her hands and she needed to do right by them.

So she came back. Not for herself or for Haley, but for people like Mia, who looked at her for guidance and support.

Peyton also had to admit that returning to work wasn't exactly the worst idea. She did love her job and it managed to fill her days and provide a temporary escape from her current misery. Lucas was still being radio silent and it continued to slowly kill her from the inside out. The days seemed to drag on without him, but working on music for Mia's latest album helped even if it was just for a little while.

Nathan was also right. She really couldn't live inside the four walls of her motel room any longer. It was starting to give Peyton a bit of cabin fever and even she had to admit that she needed more space and a more comfortable bed to sleep at night.

Even with Nathan still staying in her house the blonde wasn't ready to return home. Haley had been offering one of the spare bedroom in her house on a daily basis, but Peyton wasn't a fan of that option either. Haley had her kids and her own issues with Nathan to sort through. Peyton didn't want to add the burden of having to look after her too – not that she needed looking after, but Haley no doubt would do it anyway because she cared too much. Brooke had also opened her home to her best friend, but that option was the least tempting out of the three. Things were still weird and awkward between them and neither of them could just pretend everything was back to normal just because Brooke had come over last week. Peyton hadn't seen Brooke since, but the brunette had been checking in with her pretty much everyday. They had been exchanging simple text messages, so it was some progress, but not enough for Peyton to stay at Brooke and Julian's, especially when they had two babies on the way.

That only left one other option at her disposal.

Getting her own place.

And the more Peyton thought about it the more it made sense. Lucas would be coming home soon and if things really were over between them then they couldn't just continue living together. Someone would have to move out and considering the house they lived in was Lucas' childhood home it only made sense that Peyton be the one to leave.

So for the last couple of days she had been looking at apartments. She got lucky too. It didn't take long to find a one bedroom that she liked. It was fully furnished too, which was a plus. She had just finished signing on to a month-to-month lease for the apartment and was on her way back to the motel to check out and pick up her things.

As she drove Peyton noticed the familiar street of her childhood home coming up ahead. Surprising herself she made the right turn on to Chestnut Street. Since moving back home she had always done her best to avoid this street. She kind of hated the fact that someone else was living in her childhood home. It wasn't fair that her dad wasn't here anymore and not living in that house like he should be, even if it was far too big for one person.

Thirty seconds later Peyton was parked outside of her old red-brick house. From the outside it still looked exactly the same. It made her wonder how much it had changed from the inside and she wondered who had taken over her old room.

"Hey can I help you?"

Peyton jumped from her spot in shock. She had been so focused on the house that she hadn't noticed the visitor that had appeared at her side. "Oh my god you scared me." The blonde puffed out after steering her gaze in the direction of the woman who had approached her.

The woman sent her a cautious look. "Sorry it's just that you've been standing out here staring at my house for the past ten minutes."

Peyton's face flushed in embarrassment. "Oh." Had she really been out here that long? "I'm not a creeper or anything, I swear." She quickly blurted out. "This is my old house. I grew up here. My dad sold it a few years ago and it's just been awhile since I've seen it."

The woman seemed to relax at this. "Are you Peyton by any chance?"

Peyton slowly nodded before sending the stranger a puzzling look. "How did you..."

"I actually have something for you."

* * *

"So a few months ago I found these boxes in the attic." The woman who had introduced herself as Emily spoke as she led Peyton up the stairs of her former house. "We rarely go up there but I was looking for something and then stumbled upon them. They were kind of hidden in the back so I never noticed them before."

Peyton silently followed Emily up towards the attic. Emily showed her two marked boxes. One box was labeled _Misc. Things,_ while the other was marked _Peyton's stuff._

Peyton immediately recognized the handwriting. It belonged to her father.

"That's how I kind of guessed your name." Emily explained. "Any idea what's in there? I never bothered to open them."

Peyton shook her head. "I've never seen these boxes before. I'm guessing it's probably stuff I left behind after I moved out." She answered. "Guess my dad forgot he had put them up here too." The blonde wore a sad smile.

"I remember your dad. I tried calling the number I had from him when we first bought the house, but it was out of service."

"He passed a couple of years ago."

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that. He seemed like a really nice guy."

"He was."

"I didn't have the heart to toss the boxes out, good thing too. I guess all this time they were just waiting for you to show up." Emily said with a smile.

Peyton cracked a smile in return, a short chuckle passing her lips.

"C'mon I'll help you carry them out to your car."

* * *

On the way out of the house Peyton got to see her old room. A teenage boy lived there now, Emily's son, so naturally the room had changed drastically in style. Her red walls and paintings were long gone, covered with dark blue paint. The massive shelves where she had stored all her records were still there though, but instead of music it now held a ridiculous amount of comic books, video games and collector items. All traces of her in that room had been erased for good, but it did put a small smile on her face to see that those shelves that Larry had built were still being put to use.

After thanking Emily for the millionth time, Peyton had hopped in her car eager to look into those boxes sitting in the back seat of her car. As soon as she arrived back at the motel she ripped into them. The first box really was just full of random items thrown together. Some had sentimental value, others not so much. It contained an old quit that Peyton remembered her mother Anna had stitched together, some old photos of her parents in their younger days that immediately brought tears to her eyes, Larry's old tool box and some of her old grade school report cards. The box also contained an old baseball that brought back memories of one of the last family trips they had before her mother had passed. They had gone to Atlanta, Georgia and Larry had caught a foul ball in the crowd during a Braves game. The last few items the box held were nothing special. Just a couple of candles and a few other random knick-knacks.

After closing the box back up Peyton turned her attention towards the second one. It contained a couple of records from her collection that had been long forgotten, but it was mostly filled with folders filled with loose sketches and comic strip drawings. She flipped through all of them slowly. Peyton couldn't remember drawing any of them, but she remembered being told that shortly after moving back to Tree Hill from California she had worked at Thud Magazine for a little while.

Eventually she places the drawings back inside. She refocuses on the records and her fingertips repeatedly trailed across the spine of each record sleeve.

The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Run-DMC, The Flaming Lips, NOFX. Albums she had collected during her youth and had spent countless hours listening to them on repeat in her bedroom.

Upon closer inspection Peyton noticed that the NOFX album was slighter larger. There was something else besides the actual record stuffed in there. She picked up the album, flipping it over and peeked inside the record sleeve. There were three pieces of paper tucked inside. Curiosity got the best of her and she pulled them out.

Her heart stops after she unfolds the first paper. It's a handwritten note and she wasn't the one who wrote it.

Lucas did.

This was his sloppy handwriting.

* * *

 _June 14, 2009_

 _Hey sleepyhead!_

 _Reminding you that I had to run off to work this morning. I tried to let you know, but you wouldn't stay awake long enough. I just wanted to let you know that last night was pretty amazing. You were amazing and every inch of you felt really amazing...and you're so beautiful Peyton._

 _I know we basically just started hanging out, but it felt right, ya know? It was just kind of perfect. I hope it's okay that I'm saying this out loud or really I guess saying this in a note. I just kind of wanted to let you know. No regrets here._

 _Anyway, come by during my lunch break at the café?_

 _Call me when you wake up._

 _Lucas_

* * *

Peyton reread the note three times. Was he talking about their first time together? It sure sounded like it. She hated that she couldn't remember it. She had no doubt that Lucas was right. It probably had been perfect.

The blonde opened up the next note.

* * *

 _July 3, 2009_

 _Peyt,_

 _Sorry for having to sneak out again while you were sleeping. One of the waitresses called in sick and my mom needed an extra hand opening up the café this morning. I should be done around 11, so don't worry we're still good for our road trip later today. I'm thinking Wilmington? I haven't been there in years and there's this record store that I know you'll love._

 _Also I forgot to tell you last night, during my jog yesterday I saw this house by the beach that's up for sale. It looks pretty sweet from the outside. Maybe you and Brooke should add it to your house hunting list?_

 _Don't forget to pack a swimsuit today. I'm particularly fond of that tiny green string bikini. :)_

 _See you soon babe,_

 _Luke_

* * *

Peyton smiled at the note before opening the last one.

* * *

 _July 29, 2009_

 _Good morning baby. If you're reading this then by some miracle you're already awake before I got back sleepyhead. Thought we could have breakfast in bed so I left to grab some coffee and those breakfast sandwiches that you really love. I should be back shortly._

 _I still can't believe you just showed up at my house last night for dinner, but I'm glad you did. I could tell my mom and Lily really liked you too. I'm happy you finally got to meet them._

 _I've really missed you Peyton. No more going a week without talking. Deal? I don't ever wanna do that again. It was stupid._

 _And listen, I know your last relationship ended sort of messy and I understand how scary being in a new relationship can be, but believe when I say that you and me...this is a good thing Peyton. I really do believe that and in case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm absolutely crazy about you. I meant what I said last night. No one's ever gonna make you as happy as I will. I promise._

 _I still can't believe you're all mine. I'm one lucky guy. Thank you for giving us a real chance._

 _Luke_

* * *

Peyton swallowed down the large lump in the back of her throat. Despite the fact that this note was written over five years ago Lucas' words still held true today She felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. He'd kept his word. Peyton really had never been happier.

But that was gone now. She had thrown a good thing away because she hadn't been honest with him. Yet it was clear that he'd been nothing but honest with her from the very beginning.

She really was a fool.

And now it had been over two weeks since she last saw or spoke to Lucas.

Things were not looking good.

Peyton fought back the tears in her eyes. She searched back inside the NOFX album. It couldn't just be three letters. There had to be more. Peyton was sure of it. Her gut was telling her so.

She searched inside every single album sleeve in that box, but it proved to be fruitless.

There weren't anymore letters and her heart sank.

* * *

Nathan walked into his brother's house after having spent the day with Jamie at the river court. Making his way to the kitchen for a drink he heard loud shuffling coming down the hall putting him on high alert.

"Someone there?" He called out as he cautiously heading in the direction of the noise. It was coming from the home office.

"Peyton?" Nathan was surprised to see her here.

Peyton barely acknowledged him and she continued to tear apart through her desk.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm looking for something."

He frowned. "How did you even get in here?" She had given him her keys after all.

"Climbed through an open window." The blonde replied as she ripped open another drawer and continued her search. She huffed loudly and slammed it shut when nothing turned up.

"Care to explain what the hell it is you're looking for?" Nathan questioned as he took a look around the room and the mess that Peyton had created during her search.

"Letters." Peyton answered. After abandoning her desk she walked across the room to the book shelf and began shuffling through Lucas' library.

"Letters? I've got all your mail out in the living room."

"No not mail." Peyton quickly corrected. "Letters that Lucas wrote. He used to write me letters and I need to find them."

She couldn't ignore that gut feeling. Even if she couldn't remember receiving any of these little notes Peyton still knew there had to be more. Somewhere in this house there were years worth of handwritten letters from her husband and she was determined to find them.

"Peyton calm down. Can we just pause for a second?" Her impatience had her tossing books all over the floor. He had never seen her so frantic, almost chaotic even. It was worrying and not typical Peyton behavior.

Peyton chucked another book over her shoulder. "No Nate I can't. Not until I find them. It's just really important that I find them." She insisted. She wouldn't stop until she found them.

"Peyton."

She ceased her movements and turned her head to the side to face Nathan. "Are you going to help me or not? " Peyton snapped at him. All Nathan was doing right now was interrupting her search at it annoyed her.

Seconds later her demeanor shifted. She hadn't meant to take her frustration out on him. To him she probably appeared crazy right now. "Please." Peyton softly requested with a hopeful look on her face. "It's really important Nate."

With a small smile Nathan nodded. "Count me in."

* * *

Lucas loosened the tie around his neck and kicked off his shoes. They were in Portland, Oregon and had just wrapped up another book signing. He was ready for a long hot shower, room service and a nightcap – maybe two – before calling it a night.

This had pretty much been his routine for the last two weeks, traveling from city to city. Normally he loved being out on the road, but his heart wasn't in it this time. He didn't let it affect his work of course. Each day Lucas managed to plaster on a smile and enough faked enthusiasm to get through his scheduled appearances, but once he retreated back into the confines of his hotel room the mask was off and he was sullen.

He didn't regret his rushed departure from Tree Hill. He needed to put some distance between himself and Peyton, but that didn't mean that Lucas didn't miss her. In the past Peyton had always joined him at some point during his books tours and her absence this time was just an awful reminder of how horribly things had gotten between them.

He blamed her for ruining everything and it was hard not to hate her for it.

She had said she was all in. That she was in this thing with him, but that turned out to be a fucking lie.

How was it possible for Jake Jagielski to come in-between their relationship so many damn times?

If Peyton was really over Jake, like she had claimed, then why lie about seeing him? Why see him at all?

He felt broken and betrayed and obviously he still loved Peyton which is why it hurt so damn much. Walking away from her had been anything but easy. It wasn't like Lucas wanted their marriage to be over, but where exactly could they go from here? Could he really trust Peyton with his heart again when all he felt was resentment towards her? He loved her with every fiber in his being and it just wasn't enough. It was never going to be enough. He'd lost the love of his life the night of that car accident and she was never coming back.

Both Nathan and Haley had been pestering for him to call her. And even Lucas had to admit the way he'd been actively ignoring Peyton's calls and messages was probably the most childish behavior he had exhibited in a long while. He couldn't help it though. What the hell was he supposed to say to her? There were too many angry thoughts roaming around in his head for them to even attempt engaging in a levelheaded conversation. Lucas didn't want to hear a word of it. He didn't want to hear any of her sad tired excuses. He knew that eventually they would have to speak, but he wasn't ready for that just yet.

There's a soft knock at the door and Lucas pauses from unbuttoning his shirt to go answer.

"Lindsey." His long time editor Lindsey Strauss greets him with a giant smile.

"Hey Luke." She's holding a medium sized envelope. "This came in for you at the front desk. Thought I'd save them the trouble and bring it up for you." Lindsey explains handing him the package.

"Any idea who it's from?" He wonders with a frown upon noticing that there's no name other than his own on the package.

Lindsey shrugs. "No clue." She answers. "Maybe's it's from a crazy fan slash stalker." She teases and laughs.

"Right." Lucas says with an eyeroll.

"You owe me twenty bucks if it's some fan sending you a lock of their hair."

Lucas chuckles and shakes his head.

"Anyway you disappeared from the lobby so fast that you didn't give me the chance to ask you to come out with us tonight."

The blond grimaced. "Go out? Tonight?"

Lindsey quickly nods and chooses to ignore the look of displeasure Lucas is wearing. "Yea I mean the book tour has been super successful. Considering we kinda of rushed the release date for the book and didn't have much time to get everything together, the turn out has still been pretty remarkable at every appearance. So I think congratulatory dinner and drinks are in order."She says excitedly. "Max's already waiting by the elevator for us, so how about you go change and we can go." Max was Lindsey's boyfriend and also happened to be Lucas' manager. Lucas had introduced the two.

He hesitates. "That's really nice Linds but I think I'm just gonna stay in tonight."

Lindsey frowns clearly disappointed. "How is that different from every other night?" She accused. "Listen are you okay Lucas?" She questioned her voice filled with worry.

Lucas plasters on a fake smile. "I'm fine."

"Really? Because you just haven't seemed like yourself at all. You seem really distracted and...well sad."

"I'm fine." He repeats. "Really."

"Then prove it. Come out tonight." Lindsey challenges. "Drinks on me." She added trying to sweeten the deal.

"Not tonight." Lucas sighed. "But another time. I promise." He assures her.

"Your loss." She grumbled and decides not to press the issue further.

"Thanks for bringing this up." Lucas holds up the yellow package and tilts his head.

"Sure." Lindsey nods. "Okay I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then. The car for the airport should arrive around – "

"Eight." Lucas finished for her. "I know."

She nodded again. "Okay. Good night Luke."

"Good night."

"Let me know if there's a severed hand in there." Lindsey jokes one last time before making her way back towards the elevators.

* * *

 _August 21, 2009_

 _Did you know that you look so incredibly sexy while you're sleeping?_

 _Okay I'll admit that sounded a lot less creepy inside my head._

 _You're still sexy though._

 _Luke_

 _P.S. Brooke was being mean again. I know she's still on this whole angry post-breakup I hate men phase since Chase, but could you ask her to ease up on me a bit? I've got some single friends, just saying..._

* * *

For the last two hours he's been pouring over every single love note or letter he'd ever written to Peyton in the almost six years they've been together.

* * *

 _August 27, 2009_

 _Good luck on your job interview today sweetheart! You're gonna nail it._

 _Lucas_

* * *

That's what the package had contained. He had ripped open that envelope and out they spilled surrounding him like a waterfall. He was surrounded by words that had come straight from his heart. Words that represented every ounce of love and devotion he felt for this woman. Words that described moments in time where he felt like he was on top of the world. Moments in time where he had never been happier and his heart was full, practically bursting at the seams. Moments that never failed to put a smile on his face whenever he thought of them and her.

* * *

 _September 9, 2009_

 _I love you._

 _I love that I can finally say that out loud. Also, the car sex? We're definitely doing that again FYI._

 _Hey and don't worry about Chicago. It's their loss Peyt. You're gonna have plenty more amazing opportunities come your way. I promise._

 _Call me after work?_

* * *

Except this time it felt different. Going through these notes felt like a sharp knife pressing at his already battered heart. It felt like his past was openly mocking him, his words taunting him of days that used to be and were long gone. It was hard pill to swallow. That was the bad part.

* * *

 _October 17, 2009_

 _BABE this morning on my way to the bathroom I ran into Owen and he was naked as the day he was born. I'm guessing him and Brooke are back on?_

 _My eyes are still burning._

 _PLEASE can we stay at my place tonight?_

 _Luke_

* * *

 _November 14, 2009_

 _Holy shit did we just move in together last night?!_

 _I love you._

* * *

 _January 6, 2010_

 _Happy first official day of Red Bedroom Records! I'm so fucking proud of you. You'll be signing your first artist in no time and making the big bucks. Looking forward to you becoming my sugar mama in the near future. I love you baby. Hope you enjoy the sunflowers._

 _Let's grab the gang and celebrate with drinks at Tric tonight._

 _Lucas_

* * *

Then there was the good part. There was this small tiny bit of comfort Lucas felt too upon seeing these scraps of paper again. It made him smile remembering all the times he'd quickly scribble down a few words for Peyton to find. He'd started this habit at the very beginning of their relationship. He'd leave little notes by Peyton's bedside for her to find first thing in the mornings when he was unable to wake up next to her. Other times he'd get a little more creative hiding them inside a book she was reading, a drawer, a record or CD case, the back pocket of her favorite pair of jeans, among other places he knew she would find them in. Lately though he had been neglectful. For some reason he hadn't written any notes for Peyton since her accident.

* * *

 _June 5, 2010_

 _Fuck has it really been a year since I got stuck with you? Time sure does fly when you're in love._

 _Happy Anniversary Baby! Can't wait to celebrate with you tonight my love._

* * *

 _June 18, 2010_

 _Okay so I lied before. I am nervous. I'm actually kind of freaking out. What if this NYC trip is a bust and they decide they don't like my book enough to sign me? What if this Lindsey person can't deliver?_

 _I wish you were coming with me. Guess I better get my ass to the airport._

 _Luke_

* * *

 _June 20, 2010_

 _How did I get so lucky? Last night you said yes and just like that the rest of my life just kind of fell right into place. Let's wait a few days before telling anyone about the engagement okay? I kind of like the thought of it just being 'our thing' for a bit._

 _I love you Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer._

 _Get ready baby because I'm about to marry the shit out of you._

 _Love,_

 _Your fiancé_

* * *

 _September 15, 2010_

 _You just released the label's first album today and I couldn't be prouder. Mia's album is going to kill it._

 _Love you!_

* * *

 _November 3, 2010_

 _You're the sexist woman alive._

 _Just thought you should know. :)_

* * *

 _January 21, 2011_

 _Hope you're having a good day baby. Thinking of you._

* * *

Peyton had always loved it when he wrote to her. However he had no idea she had kept all of these after all this time. That envelope had contained dozens, easily over a hundred pieces of paper, and Lucas had taken his time reading each one. These letters were pretty much a map of their entire relationship.

* * *

 _March 29, 2011_

 _Good Morning Wifey (I will never ever get tired of saying that)_

 _You were right, I'm glad we didn't wait until the wedding. Yesterday was the best day of my life. Can't wait to do it all over again in front of our friends and family in December._

 _Thanks for saying I do and marrying this lovesick goof that forever belongs to you._

 _Love,_

 _Your Husband (Also, will never ever get tired of hearing you call me that)_

* * *

 _August 1, 2011_

 _Congratulations are in order Ms. Matchmaker Extraordinaire._

 _I just caught sight of Julian on main street with a full heaping of Brooke's tongue down his throat. So I guess that's happening then?_

 _And yes okay you were right, Julian isn't so bad after all. But hey you can't blame me for being suspicious of my wife's short lived fling with the movie producer that wants to turn my book into a movie. It's my right as your husband to be jealous, but anyway he's cool I guess, whatever._

 _Dinner at the riverwalk tonight?_

* * *

 _December 12, 2011_

 _Holy shit we're married?! Again?! Okay yes I know it's not as climactic the second time around, but still goes down as the second best day of my life. Our wedding was perfect and kind of kicked ass if I do say so myself. Grateful for all your hard work putting it together baby. You're amazing._

 _Next stop honeymoon! Don't bother with clothes. Skimpy swimsuits and slutty lingerie will do just fine. I'm packing my birthday suit._

 _Love,_

 _Your Hubby_

* * *

 _February 16, 2012_

 _I just wanted to say that I love you and I'm here for you. I promise you we're going to do everything to make sure your dad beats this thing. We're gonna beat this okay?_

 _I'll have my cell on me all day in case you need me love._

* * *

 _July 22, 2012_

 _So Larry and I have decided that you need a time out. I know you're gonna get mad at me once you read this but I don't care. Today you're not allowed to step foot inside the hospital. I took the day off from work to make sure your dad gets to all his appointments. I'll be with him the whole time. Brooke and Haley are going to pick you up in a hour. Relax and enjoy yourself. It's okay to let yourself take a small break okay?_

 _DON'T YOU DARE show up at the clinic today Peyton Sawyer. I mean it! I know you too well. You will get kicked out!_

* * *

 _October 15, 2012_

 _Hey sweetheart,_

 _Hope you were able to get some sleep. Just a reminder that we've got an away game tonight so I'll be out of town with the Ravens and won't be back til late. I left food for you in the fridge, all you have to do is heat it up and maybe you could try to get out of bed today? Shower too please._

 _You haven't left the house in weeks and it worries me. Maybe a walk around the block at least for some fresh air? Could you please just try? For me?_

 _Also try to give Hales a call today. She has questions about the label._

 _I love you Peyt. Try to stay positive okay? I'll call you in a couple of hours to check in so PLEASE pick up your phone. It's fully charged. I checked, so no excuses._

 _Luke_

* * *

 _April 4, 2013_

 _I'm excited about New York. I have a feeling it's going to be really good for us. It's good to see you smile again. I've missed it and I've missed you._

 _Happy looks good on you baby._

* * *

It was no mystery who the sender behind this package was. Peyton had clearly sent them. Either she had remembered his notes or most likely had just stumbled upon them recently. Maybe she hoped that him seeing these again would make him think of her. Make him miss her.

He didn't need his love notes for that. Lucas was already missing Peyton and he thought about her pretty much every second of every day – admittedly not every thought was a kind one. Sometimes they were angry. Sometimes they were nasty. But sometimes they were hopeful. Sometimes they were full of love. These thoughts pulled him in different directions on a daily basis.

The last note he read placed at the bottom of the envelope was the toughest one to get through. It had no memory attached to it. It had no words of endearment. It wasn't even a note written by Lucas himself. It was from Peyton and it simply had two words written out for him to read.

 _COME HOME._

There it was. Short and sweet and straight to the point. She wanted him back. She wanted him home.

The problem was that Lucas wasn't entirely sure what he wanted.

* * *

So wayyy back in Chapter 22 Lucas' little love notes were briefly mentioned and I've always planned to revisit that at some point. They were super fun to come up with. I would have loved to throw in some more, but felt like it would have been overkill. You guys get the gist.

Show me some love guys and let me know what you think of this one! As always thanks a million for your continued support.

Until next time!

Chapter Track 'Love Letters' by Nat King Cole


	45. How Come You Don't Call Me

Reviews

 **leyte –** Keep reading to find out! Lol

 **Talz** \- Glad you enjoyed the love notes! And I agree, Leyton's reunion won't be instant. Peyton has some work to do, first starting with herself.

 **Tpassions** \- Thanks for your insight!

 **prankgurl –** I purposely left out any love notes that would have been written during their time in New York just because those would have been kept in NYC apartment and I didn't want Peyton discovering them that earlier on in the story, so let's just say they got lost in the move or are still tucked away in boxes they haven't unpacked, lol!

 **jordana60 –** It's great to hear you enjoyed the notes. I had so much fun writing them! I've been waiting so long to write that part of the story.

 **thibbs65 –** Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked it.

 **Guest** \- There is some Leyton in this chapter actually! Enjoy.

 **Herdawness** \- Breyton still have some work to do, but their storyline will be tied up, I promise.

 **Guest** \- I've gotten requests for Peyton to get pregnant throughout this entire story. You'll just have to wait and see if that's the direction I wanna go in! Lol

 **Noah** \- Thanks for reading and for your suggestions. Keep reading to find out what happens next!

* * *

Chapter 45: How Come You Don't Call Me

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – March 2015**

 _She laughed loudly._

 _She had tried her very best to keep it in, but it slipped past her lips far too quickly and she was unable to cover her mouth in time._

 _The second the sound of her laughter hit his ears he paused._

 _Lucas lifted his head from its spot on her stomach and frowned. "Why are you laughing?" He questioned out with a huff, both eyebrows raised up. It wasn't exactly conducive to the mood he was trying to set right now._

 _"It tickles." Peyton, who was now giggling uncontrollably, replied. Lucas hadn't shaved in a couple of days and the sexy scuff on his face had been tickling her bare skin as his lips traveled over her flat belly._

 _He frowned and spoke again complaining. "This is supposed to be turning you on."_

 _"It is. I am. I am so turned on right now." She totally was, but it probably would have been much more convincing if she hadn't continued giggling through her words._

 _"Clearly." Lucas mocked before going back to pressing his lips over her stomach. The blonde giggled once more and he pulled back again releasing an annoyed sigh._

 _"Honey get up here." Peyton curled her finger in her direction signaling Lucas to slide his body further up over hers._

 _Lucas silently obeyed. "Hi." He greeted while his nose lightly brushed up against hers._

 _"Hi back handsome." Her laughs had died down by this point and the blonde eagerly greeted him with open-mouthed kisses. "See? I'm. Totally. Turned. On. Right. Now." She spoke to him in-between kisses as her hands slid underneath his shirt and rubbed his back._

 _Lucas gave a soft chuckle before moving his lips over Peyton's neck._

 _"Baby." Peyton softly moaned out._

 _"Mmmh?" Lucas mumbled over her skin while his hands busied themselves caressing her all over._

 _She shivered when his fingertips grazed one of her breast. "Why are you still wearing your clothes?" She eventually replied when she was able to refocus her thoughts away from Lucas' touches for a split second. Lucas had hastily stripped Peyton of most her clothing the only thing that remained was her panties. Lucas on the other hand was still dressed in his sleepwear._

 _Lucas looked down at his wife with a smirk. "Because I like you this." He answered in a husky voice. "Completely vulnerable in front of me. It's damn sexy."_

 _"You just like being in control." Peyton retorted._

 _The blond's smirk grew. "That too." He admitted quickly. "And you like it too." He then pointed out just as quickly._

 _"Says you." She teased sticking out her tongue._

 _Seconds later Lucas' mouth was back on hers, his tongue pushing past her lips. Peyton didn't hold back not one bit. She willingly granted Lucas permission, allowing his lips to claim hers._

 _"You were saying?" Lucas said playfully when they eventually broke apart for some much needed oxygen._

 _"Shut up." The blonde panted heavily. "Just keep kissing me. Don't ever stop."_

 _Lucas grinned._

 _"What?" Peyton questioned noticing the linger in his silent stare. "What is it?"_

 _Lucas sent his wife another warm smile before shaking his head. "It's nothing." He reassured her. "It's just I couldn't help but think how perfect everything is right now." He then revealed._

 _"Perfect?"_

 _He dropped a light kiss over Peyton's bare chest before pressing his face closer to hers. "Perfect." He repeated. "You know after your accident when everything was just so messed up, I just...all I could believe was that things would never be the same unless you got your memories back. I thought that we'd never really be us again unless you remembered our past and I gotta be honest I was really scared of losing you despite the brave front I put on those first few weeks. I thought I was gonna lose you forever. Lose what made us...us. That even if you still stayed with me we would never really be whole again. This wonderful life that we've shared together was just gone and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I've never felt so powerless."_

 _"Luke..." Peyton said sadly._

 _Lucas caressed her left cheek. "But I was wrong Peyton. These last few months together have proved me wrong. Sure things are a little different and new, but I haven't lost you after all. This moment right here and every single moment we've shared since we decided to really be together again...well it's been perfect. It still feels like us, exactly how we used to be. You losing the past doesn't change anything. You're still my home baby. You've always been my home and nothing can ever change that. And I should have never doubted it in the first place."_

 _He took in a deep breath._

 _"Do you remember that night back in New York when you came to the living room and asked me if I missed her? If I missed who you were?"_

 _Peyton quickly nodded. She had approached him with that question on Thanksgiving after they had came back home from Brooke and Julian's apartment. "I remember. You admitted to me that you did. That you missed being close with me."_

 _"I was wrong Peyton. It took me awhile to realize it, but there's no need for me to miss you. You never really left. My wife's been here this whole time. You're still you. You're still every bit the woman I fell madly in love with six years ago. I just needed to give you a chance to catch up that's all."_

 _"I've done a lot of stupid things too. I know how much I hurt you with how selfish I was in the beginning."_

 _"You were scared." Lucas reasoned. "I basically became a stranger overnight."_

 _Peyton slowly nodded and smiled. "Thank you for giving me the chance to catch up. You're my home too Lucas Scott and I'd be lost without you."_

 _"God I love you." He kissed her deeply. "So like I said before, everything is perfect. Everything is exactly the way it was meant to be. Just you and me living this pretty amazing life together."_

 _She smiled once more. "Well it'd be even more perfect if you had a hell of a lot less clothing on right now." The blonde teased. "I want you." She then husked in Lucas' ear. "Please."_

 _Peyton's hands began to fumble with his clothes. "Hold it right there young lady." He had grabbed her hands and pinned them down over her head._

 _"Lucas." Peyton slightly whined._

 _"Didn't we just agree not too long ago that I was in charge here?" Lucas' blue eyes darkened slightly._

 _She rolled her eyes. "I believe I just simply pointed out that you are a control freak."_

 _"And that you like it." Using the free hand he had left, Lucas took the opportunity to rid Peyton of her underwear._

 _"I will admit no such thing." Peyton lied, her smile a dead giveaway._

 _"Baby?"_

 _"Yes." She panted out once Lucas' lips were back on her neck serving as a delicious distraction._

 _"Cut the bullshit and tell me what you want."_

 _"Gee how romantic." Peyton snarked, but then she felt Lucas run his tongue down her neck and across the top of her breast causing her to promptly shut up._

 _Lucas spoke in a low voice. "Tell me what you want Peyt."_

 _"You." Peyton answered at once. "I want you. I need you. I need you now."_

 _"How do you want me?" He continued to tease her. "Should I go nice and slow?"_

 _"No." The blonde panted out. He'd been going nice and slow for the past fifteen minute and she was desperate for more._

 _"Tell me what you want then." Lucas encouraged facing her once more._

 _Peyton managed to wiggle her hands out of his hold. Her hands slipped behind Lucas' neck, her fingers burying themselves through his hair as she pulled his face closer. "I want it hard and fast." She confessed as her lips hoovered against his ear. "I want you to make me scream."_

 _"Anything else?"_

 _"Yes. Take off your clothes. Now."_

 _Lucas pulled back still grinning. "And here I thought I was the one in charge." He joked as Peyton quickly helped him undress._

 _"Guess again." Peyton replied copying his grin._

 _He kissed her._

 _"Turn around." Lucas gruffed out suddenly._

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Flip over. Get on your hands and knees." He instructed. "And you better hold on tight baby."_

 _Peyton sheepishly smiled. Her face had heated up immediately. She said nothing and kissed Lucas on the lips before eagerly following orders. The desire present between her legs had her moaning out for him to hurry up and have his way with her already._

 _Seconds later she could feel Lucas' bare chest pressed up against her back causing Peyton to instantly arch it in his direction. She felt his right hand slip between her legs and..._

Peyton's head shot up from her pillow.

Well fuck.

It took Peyton a minute to realize that she was, unfortunately, all alone in bed. It had been a dream. A very vivid dream that still had her body tingling all over. She groaned loudly, throwing the covers over her face as she attempted to will herself back into dreamland.

She hated having to wake up everyday without Lucas. She missed the way he would hog the covers during the middle of the night and when he would worm his way towards her side of the bed even though there was plenty of space on his side. She missed the way he would sometimes lovingly wake her up with soft kisses in the mornings, and even more she missed the way she would sometimes wake up with his hands roaming all over her bare skin when he was feeling extra frisky. Oh and the dirty talk. Dear lord Lucas' dirty talk. She missed that too.

As much as Peyton tried to will it the moment was gone. The loose dream state she was in slowly slipped away and she was wide awake now. She frowned in disappointment. She remembered that night with Lucas. It was the last time they'd slept together before everything had went south between them.

God did she miss him.

The sex too of course. The sex that night had been pretty incredible.

She already knew it was going to be a long ass day, especially with such an unsatisfying start to her morning. She was fucked or more accurately she wasn't getting fucked.

The blonde blew out a heavy breath and sat up on her bed. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and checked her messages. A small smile reached Peyton's face when she realized the date.

Lucas should have received her package days ago. With Nathan's help she had turned the entire house upside down until she found all of the little notes Lucas had written her throughout the years. After collecting them she had brought them back over to her new apartment, reading them several times over before stuffing them into a large envelope and overnighting them to Portland the next day to the hotel she knew Lucas was staying in.

Lucas had them in his possession now and Peyton was certain that there was no way he couldn't be feeling all the same things she had felt when reading them. And though they hadn't spoken in weeks, Peyton was also certain that today was the day she would finally be hearing from him.

Lucas was going to call today.

He was going to call her today.

There was no way he wouldn't. Any other day sure, maybe, but not today.

Because today wasn't just any other day.

* * *

Later that day Peyton and Haley had left together after work. Brooke's shower was right around the corner and the girls were getting the last of the items they needed, mostly just some decorations.

"Hello earth to Peyton?" Haley huffed noticing that the blonde hadn't heard a word she said. She might as well have been talking to herself.

Peyton tore her gaze off her phone. Her eyes had practically been glued to it all day, checking for any sign from her husband.

He hadn't called yet and it was driving her crazy. She was starting to get nervous too. What if Lucas didn't call today? She had been debating all day whether to bite the bullet and just call him. Though what she really wanted was for Lucas to just be here. Maybe by some miracle he'd just show up unannounced, take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. That's all Peyton really wanted. Is that why he hadn't called? Because he was finally on his way home to her? Oh god has she really become that delusional?

"Are you even listening to me?"

Peyton sighed. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?" She eventually replied.

Haley rolled her eyes. Peyton had been distracted all day at work too and honestly it was starting to irk her. " _I said_ do you think we should get extra string lights? Because I mean if the shower is during the day do you think we really need them at all? I know Brooke was kinda keen on them, but I don't think she'll even notice the difference to be honest."

"Sure extra string lights. Sounds good. " Peyton mumbled distracted while she checked her phone again.

"That didn't really answer my question..." Haley grumbled before removing the string lights from their shopping cart. "You know Peyton I could have just done this by myself if you're not going to help at all today."

Peyton cringed. "I'm sorry." She said sheepishly.

"Yea you said that already."

Peyton shrugged. "I'm trying here Haley."

"Well how about you try a little harder."

The blonde swallowed hard. "I'm doing my best here."

"No, you're not." Haley bit back. "This isn't you Peyton. This isn't you at all."

Peyton's lips pursed together tightly.

"Peyton I love you. I love you like a sister and I will always have your back no matter what, but you _need_ to snap out of this funk you're in. I understand that things really suck right now with Lucas, but it doesn't give you a free pass to stop living your life no matter how much you miss him. You can't put your life on hold just because Lucas isn't here right now, otherwise you're just gonna go insane."

"So what a few weeks pass and you expect me to just give up on Luke? Just give up on what we had and move on with my life?" Peyton said incredulously. "That is _not_ an option for me Haley."

Haley quickly shook her head. "That's not what I meant Peyton, of course you should still fight for your relationship if that's what you really want. All I meant was that the Peyton Sawyer I know is more than just her marriage. Your marriage is part of who you are, but it doesn't define you. You're so much more than that and we both know it. You can't keep living in this black hole Peyton. You can't keep going through the motions and ignoring all the other people in your life who love and support you. Lucas is going to come back home eventually and when he does you two can start working on things. But until then, you gotta keep living you know? We all do. No matter how tough life can be sometimes."

Peyton slowly nodded and sighed. She understood Haley's point but it was a lot easier said than done. "I just really miss him."

"I know you do and I'm sorry...I just...I didn't mean to be so frank. You definitely shouldn't give up on things with Lucas, but keep in mind you shouldn't give up on you either okay?"

The blonde nodded again feeling guilty.

"Oh come here." Haley said immediately pulling her friend into a hug. "I just kind of miss having fun with my friend that's all."

"I've been a shitty friend." Peyton admitted as they pulled back from their hug.

"Yes you have, but I forgive you." She teased.

"I just don't get it."

"Get what?" Haley questioned.

"I know things have been just as hard lately with you and Nathan. And here you are acting so...normal. How do you do it?"

Haley blew out a breath. "I'm just taking it one step at time I guess, but then again maybe I'm just really good at pretending too." She joked poorly. "Nathan and I will be okay. I know we will. I just need a bit of space right now, but we'll be okay."

"Wish I could be that sure." Peyton glumly admitted. She had no idea what Lucas was really thinking right now. Why hadn't he called her yet? He should have called by now.

"Today's our anniversary." The blonde revealed. She had been holding it in all day.

Haley's face fell in recognition. Lucas and Peyton had secretly eloped at the court house four years ago today. "Oh Peyton..." No wonder she had been so distracted today. More than usual. It was all making perfect sense now.

"I don't think he's gonna call." The blonde adds while sadly shaking her head.

* * *

Four slices of pizza later – because she simply can't stop eating her feelings these days – and Peyton's camped out in front of the TV of her new living room. She aimlessly flips through the channels in a poor attempt to distract herself. Not that it's working. She keeps checking her phone of course and it continues to disappoint her every damn time.

An hour ago she'd had enough and chugged a glass full of wine for courage before dialing Lucas' number. It had gone straight to his voicemail however and she promptly hung up not bothering to leave a message. Over the past couple of weeks she had left him countless messages and he had never bothered to return them anyway. Lucas had made his need for space very loud and clear.

It's nearing midnight and with a heavy heart Peyton decides it's time to call it a night. She switches off the television and removes the blanket sitting across her lap. And then just like that when she's given up all hope her phone goes off. In a flash she reaches for it, fumbling with it so badly that she almost drops the phone in the process.

Peyton takes in a deep breath attempting to get her nerves in check before she goes ahead and accepts the call.

"Hi." She weakly greets Lucas over the line. She is both surprised and relieved that he finally did call. Getting to hear his voice again, well it's sort of an odd feeling.

 _"Hey."_ Lucas quietly returns the greeting.

Less than ten seconds in and it's awkward already.

She hates it.

"I didn't think you'd call. I was hoping, but..."

 _"Yea..."_ Peyton hears him mumble.

"Today's our anniversary." She meekly reminds him, though she doubts he would have forgotten. She doesn't believe Lucas calling her tonight is some random coincidence. The original plan had been to go away somewhere together, but obviously that hadn't panned out accordingly.

Lucas sighed over the line. _"I know."_

"I sent you something." Peyton eases into the topic hoping Lucas will have something positive to say about the notes she mailed him.

 _"I got them."_ He confirmed.

 _"It was like going back in time. I had no idea you still kept them after all these years."_ Lucas added after a beat.

"Neither did I." She joked. It had been purely dumb luck his little love notes had found their way to her in the first place. "It was a nice surprise."

Lucas paused over the line. _"It was."_ He agreed.

Peyton released a sigh of relief. She saw his agreement as a good sign. "When are you coming home?" She questioned softly. According to her calendar his last appearance for the book tour was tomorrow.

Her question was met with silence and it caused her stomach to drop. She could feel Lucas' hesitation. It made no difference that they were currently hundreds of miles apart.

 _"I'm not."_

"What?" The blonde frowned in confusion.

 _"I'm not coming home Peyton, at least not right now."_

"What does that even mean?"

 _"They wanna add a few more dates to the tour again and...well I agreed."_

"How could you even agree to that right now with everything going on? Do you hate me that much?" She accused. "You're not being fair Luke."

 _"I don't think you wanna debate with me about being fair Peyton or have you forgotten why things got like this in the first place."_

Peyton bit down hard on her lower lip. "I want to see you Lucas. I need to see you."

 _"I'm not ready."_

"I miss you. I miss you so much. Don't you miss me?"

Lucas scoffed loudly. _"Of course I do Peyton. I'm pissed at you and I'm hurt, but that I doesn't mean I've suddenly stopped loving you."_

"Then come home." She begged. "Please."

 _"I can't."_

"Can't or won't?"

 _"A bit of both I guess._ "

"I can come out there instead and see you." Peyton quickly offered up. "I just really need to see you Lucas."

 _"I don't think that's a good idea Peyton."_

"I disagree."

 _"Right now I just need to focus on work. You should probably do the same. We can talk about things when I get back."_

"And exactly how long will that be?" Peyton barked.

 _"Two more weeks max, probably less."_

Two more weeks sounded like an eternity in her opinion. It was too long.

She was on the brink of tears at this point. "Why are you doing this?"

 _"I told you, I'm not ready. I need more time."_

"You've had plenty of time." Peyton countered angrily.

Lucas sighed again trying to keep his cool. He didn't want to fall into an argument now. It wasn't the intent behind his call.

 _"Babe you can't..." He sucked in his teeth realizing his slipup. "You don't get to decide for me when and for long I get to process how I'm feeling right now Peyton. It doesn't work like that."_

"We should be together right now." She stated sadly. "Today was supposed to be special. I just don't understand. If you're not coming home then why bothering calling me at all?"

 _"Believe it or not I wanted to hear your voice."_ Lucas replied. _"And tell you that I do miss you Peyton. To tell you that I got the letters and it made me miss you even more. And I wanted to say happy anniversary. I didn't forget and I didn't want you think I did either. I still care Peyton. This wouldn't hurt so much if I still didn't."_

"I'm so sorry Lucas. You have to believe that." Peyton spoke as she choked down a sob.

 _"I want to. I do."_

"Then why can't you? It doesn't mean you have to forgive me right away, but can't you at least trust in the fact that I'll do whatever it takes to make us work again. I'll never hurt you again. Ever. You're the only one I want."

" _That's just it Peyton, I wanna believe in you, but... I just don't trust you right now. How can I really trust anything you say? We're in this position right now because you got caught, not because you were honest with me like you should have been from the start."_

"I don't care about Jake. I care about you. I care about us."

 _"Your actions speak differently."_

"I said I was sorry! I fucked up okay!"

 _"I really don't wanna get into this right now Peyton. Not tonight. It's not why I called okay?"_

"There's no hope in fixing this if we don't talk about it Lucas."

 _"I know that and we will. When I get back."_

Peyton sighed in defeat.

 _"Nathan told me you got a new place?"_ Lucas asked switching topics. _"You didn't have to do that Peyton. I asked you not to."_

"I couldn't stay there." She simply replied. "Not without you. It's your house anyway."

 _"It's your home just as much as it is mine Peyton. You're so damn stubborn."_

"I'll tell you what, I'll go back home when you do." She replied in a challengingly tone.

Lucas blew out a breath biting back his response. There really was no point in arguing with Peyton. He knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind anytime soon. He didn't like the fact that she was living by herself in some random apartment, but at least Nathan was still keeping a close eye on her now that he was back in town.

 _"I should probably let you go."_ He stated after a long pause. _"I've got an early flight in the morning."_

Peyton could feel her stomach drop once more. Even though their conversation tonight didn't go at all like she had planned, it didn't mean she wanted it to be over either. She had no idea how long it would be before she'd be able to get Lucas on the phone again. She didn't want this to end. Being able to hear his voice again was everything.

"No not yet. Just a little bit longer okay? I don't wanna hang up just yet." She quickly replied. "We don't even have to talk." She added making Lucas chuckle lightly.

 _"Okay."_ Lucas agreed. _"A little longer then."_ He'd be lying if he said it didn't feel good to hear her voice again too.

She's still devastated that he isn't coming home right now, but at least she's able to keep him on the line a little longer. It's the small victories right? It's really the only hope the blonde has right now and so she's gonna hold on to it as tightly as she can. "Lucas?"

 _"Yea?"_

"Happy Anniversary." She realized she had never said it back to him earlier.

 _"Happy Anniversary Peyton."_

* * *

 **A/N:** I know, I know, I suck for disappearing on you guys for a bit. But honestly I need to take a break from this site and kind of get my own personal life in order and so hence the disappearing act. I'm still not 100% back, so I can't promise that updates will continue to be frequent, depends on how the next few weeks go for me. But anyway thanks a million for sticking by this story. You guys are amazing and I can't ever thank you enough.

Chapter Track: "How Come You Don't Call Me" by Alicia Keys


	46. Is It Any Wonder?

Reviews

 **Guest –** Thank you for reading, always.

 **Emma** \- Welcome and thank you! I'm so thrilled you decided to give this story a shot and are so far enjoying the ride. As for Julian, I really wanted that too! Originally I was planning on having him appear more in this story, particularly because they were such good friends in the past, especially during Peyton's last year in LA, but as the story moved forward I found it rather difficult to just plug him in. It seemed too random and forced, and I wanted to stay focused on Peyton's story, so that's why there's such a lack of Julian. There IS however a written deleted scene that includes Julian, Peyton  & Jake. It's a flashback scene from college that I cut just because I never found the right placing for it. I'm thinking about posting it after Strangers is wrapped up just as an extra little bonus deleted scene.

 **Annie** \- So stubborn those two! Lol

 **Tpassions** \- I understand that readers get anxious for updates sometimes - trust me I get like that sometimes with my favorites stories on here - but at the end of the day it's really up to my discretion on whether or not I decide to share what's happening in my life outside of writing fiction. That being said in addition to putting the story on hiatus in the summary, I did write a little note in my profile that I was taking a break and had no intentions of abandoning Strangers or any of my stories. My mental and physical health had nothing to do with it. I'm perfectly fine, I just needed a break. I needed to focus on my career (a girl's gotta eat!) and make that a priority. As always thanks for faithfully reading and sharing your thoughts. Your reviews are always welcomed and I very much look forward to them.

 **SuperBadKitty37** \- Hahaha I was wondering if anyone had caught on to the Julian  & TWD mention! Thank you so much for reading and welcome! I just get so excited when new binge readers come along!

 **jordana60 –** That's a very good point. On some small level it can totally be possible that Lucas is sort of dragging this out to hurt Peyton back. We do stupid things when we are incredibly angry and hurt. It's such a human thing to do.

 **Talz** – Lol! Well as the last chapter pointed out it's not that Lucas doesn't want to forgive Peyton – he does - but that lingering cloud of doubt is what's stopping him. He doesn't feel like he can trust her right now. Them making up after LA was supposed to be the end of all that Jake drama.

 **Guest** \- Well Haley sometimes does have her little self-righteous tendencies, but her trying to set Peyton straight was totally coming from a place of love and concern. Haley may be in the middle of her own marriage issues, but she's still functioning as best as she can while Peyton has pretty much given up (remember that Haley basically begged her to come back to work instead of continuing to completely isolate herself). That being said even though we haven't seen it, behind the scenes Naley are still obviously communicating and seeing each other since the have kids. And I promise those two will wrap things up before the story is over!

 **Guest** \- Thank you so much!

 **thibbs65 –** Thanks for reading! Lots of things coming up in these last few chapters! Hang on!

* * *

Chapter 46: Isn't Any Wonder?

 **Tree Hill, North Carolina – April 2015**

The funny thing is that she thought she'd be relieved.

And sure she was. At first.

Finally getting to hear Lucas' voice had been music to her ears. The aching feeling in her heart eased up.

But Lucas wasn't coming home, at least not right now. Those last few minutes with him on the phone hadn't been any less awkward as they stumbled through silence and small talk. She asked him about the tour and Lucas had shared a detail or two. There was no further mention about their anniversary or hopes of eventually celebrating much to Peyton's dismay.

Two weeks.

All Peyton had to do was get through these next two weeks and then she'd have him back. Or back in town at least. She had decided to put all her energy into work and Brooke's upcoming baby shower. As long as she focused on that and kept busy the next two weeks were guaranteed to fly by.

The problem was that her relief was incredibly short-lived. Over the last couple of days that relief had steadily morphed into anger. The more time Peyton had to think about Lucas' call the more irritable she seemed to become. Up until this point she hadn't been mad at him - after all she had been the one who had fucked up. Instead she had mostly felt terribly sad and hopeless. The times she had felt anger it had been directed at her own self for the damage she had caused. She had never blamed Lucas.

But now she was mad. Mad because he had taken so long to finally get in touch with her. And on top of that she was bitter because he had chosen not to come home right away. If Lucas really still cared about her, like he said he did, then why wasn't he home? Why wasn't he here trying to save their marriage? Why did he continue to have her waiting here for him like some kind of idiot? She had even offered to come see him and Lucas had flat out refused. He didn't even want to try.

So yes they had finally spoken on the phone, but in the aftermath it really hadn't brought Peyton any kind of comfort. She was moody as fuck these days and she couldn't control it. Everyone at work had taken notice of her sudden change in demeanor too. She had gone from sullen to extremely irritable without warning. When she had snapped at Mia for taking her pen and not bothering to return it even Peyton had to admit that her foul mood was in need of a serious adjustment.

Poor Mia.

Peyton had felt awful.

After that highly embarrassing incident she had ended up calling Maya, her therapist, for an emergency session. She hadn't talked to anyone about her call with Lucas and perhaps holding it all in wasn't exactly the wisest of choices.

In addition to her current not so pleasant thoughts over her husband, there was this sense of guilt festering inside of her in response to Haley's sort of scolding the other day. How had she become this co-dependent person? Had she really become one of those girls that simply couldn't function without a man at her side? It was pathetic really. This wasn't her. Memory loss or not this could not be the person she had become. She'd never let a boy define her before. Sure she had loved hard and loved deeply in her relationships, but never without sacrificing her independent streak. The aftermath of the accident really had fucked her up in the head. It had really fucked her up emotionally.

Why couldn't she be stronger? More confident? More passionate?

Lucas had told her time and again that she was enough. But what if he was wrong? What if he was so blinded by his love for her that it just made him completely wrong?

She wasn't enough for him.

She even wasn't enough for her own damn self.

What had happened to that girl?

Was she ever coming back?

* * *

The session with Maya had been a complete waste of time. An hour hashing things out with her did nothing in making Peyton feel better. That was new. Though they'd only been working together for a short time Peyton had always felt in a good place after a session with Maya. She didn't understand why it didn't work this time. The stress of it all made her feel like her brain was about to explode any second now.

When that didn't work Peyton headed over to the one place in the her world that is guaranteed to bring her some form of comfort right now.

The cemetery.

There are very few people in this world who could truly feel at home among a landscape of never-ending graves, but Peyton could. She'd been coming back to this place since she was a kid. The blonde didn't find it scary or creepy at all. It was special to Peyton even if it did make her sad to be there sometimes. At the end of the day she liked the fact that there was a place she could come back to be with her parents. A safe haven of sorts.

"Hi mom." Peyton greets before dropping to the ground to sit. "Hi dad." She smiles as her face tilts over towards Larry Sawyer's grave. "I know it's been awhile and I'm sorry. I just haven't been myself. It's been hard to find the motivation to do much of anything lately."

She blows out a powerful breath past her lips.

"Work's been a good distraction though. It helps. Keeps my mind off things."

"God and I love my job. I really do. It's my dream job ya know? But I still feel really empty inside." Peyton sadly shakes her head. "And I was so ready to move forward with everything in my life, but for some reason I just keep letting the things I lost pull me backwards and I really wish I knew why."

The blonde silently shrugged before speaking again. "I really wanted to be happy again. I was happy and now I'm just even more miserable than the day I woke up from my coma."

She exhales loudly before her fingers reach for the hem of her coat and begins to play with it. "I don't know if you guys heard, but Lucas and I aren't...god I don't even know how to label what we are right now. I mean I guess we really aren't much of anything right now...and that's my fault because I hurt him again after I said I wouldn't. I didn't mean to. I made a mistake and now he's just...gone."

"And mom you were always just so good to talk to about this kind of stuff...and well no offense dad but you kind of weren't." Peyton chuckles and wipes some tears off her face. "I mean with boy talks anyway...you were good with everything else."

"Anyway I thought I'd come here because I just feel so lost and I don't see any light at the end of this very dark tunnel. I feel so hopeless guys. And I'm such an emotional mess these days. I'm up, I'm down, I'm sideways. I can't get it together. I'm so unhappy."

"And I miss Lucas. And I miss you. Both of you. And I just really wish you were here right now because I could really use someone to talk to. Lucas won't even talk to me. Brooke and I are still on really shaky ground right now, and Haley's great, but she's not Brooke. I mean I guess I could call my college girlfriends, but hell they don't even know I don't remember the last eight years. I feel like I don't really have anyone. I don't think I've ever felt this alone."

"And I wanna let Lucas in all the way. I do. I don't know why I can't let myself love him the way he deserves to be loved. The way I want to. I'm just so scared. He's the one I wanna be with and I still can't open my heart to him. What's wrong with me? I feel like I woke up wrong after that car hit me. I don't think I've told ANYONE I love them since waking up in that hospital bed. I mean how does that even work? Why am I so numb now? It just doesn't make any sense. I've loved people before. I mean I still have Brooke in my life and I love her so damn much, but I don't think I've actually told her that I love her. I haven't said the words out loud since my accident. And this is Brooke we're talking about. My best friend. It shouldn't be hard at all to tell her that, but for some reason it completely terrifies me and I can't understand why. Why is it so damn hard to say the words out loud? I just don't get it and it's so unfair. What on earth did I do to deserve this? I don't deserve this. No one does."

Peyton pulled out some tissues from her purse and cleaned up her nose. "You know anytime you guys wanna chime in would be great." She teased, releasing a teary chuckle before sighing in defeat. "Anyway I just thought I'd come and visit since I haven't shown my face around in awhile and...OH I brought my sketch pad too." She reveals and digs it out from her bag. "I haven't drawn in awhile either and I know how much you guys always loved watching me draw...so I think I'm just gonna sit here and sketch bit if that's okay with you?"

* * *

"Sawyer." Nathan greets after Peyton opens the door to her apartment. He proceeds to let himself in not bothering to wait for the blonde to invite him inside. "I've got the stuff you asked for." He announced while dropping two large shopping bags over her carpeted floor.

Peyton had called him a couple days ago requesting some of her things from the house. She still found it hard to be inside the home she shared with Lucas and thankfully Nathan had offered to gather up her things. In fact Nathan had been pretty great period. He checked in on her regularly, which was kind of annoying at first, but eventually his presence had grown on her. They mostly just sat together and watched TV when he came over which was fine by Peyton. The good thing about Nathan was that he didn't constantly pressure her to talk about Lucas the way Haley and Brooke had been doing. He was surprisingly quiet about Lucas for the most part. Sure sometimes Nathan would broach the subject, but he would always back off quickly if she wasn't into having that conversation. He respected her wishes and Peyton appreciated that. And though most of the time she preferred being alone, she also had to admit that it was kind of nice to have Nathan around sometimes. They got along surprisingly well. Peyton remembered hating Nathan so much after they broke up in high school and now here they were, two exes who actually enjoyed each other's company more than when they were together.

Life was weird.

"Are you just getting up?" Nathan frowned as he watched Peyton rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." She admitted.

"You don't look so great." He pointed out. Peyton looked rather pale. "Are you sick or something?"

Peyton shrugged.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Are you not eating again?" He quickly accused. The last time Peyton got sick she had ended up in the hospital after passing out in Lucas' arms. It was his job to keep an eye on Peyton. Lucas was counting on him to.

"I'm taking care of myself Nathan." Peyton promised. She had been taking care of herself making sure to eat. She wasn't going to make that same mistake twice. In fact she had been eating a lot more than usual or really just binge eating her feelings. Ice cream and tons of junk food had kind of been her new best friend since Lucas had left.

"Are you lying?"

Peyton snorted. "C'mon you've seen me woof down plenty of meals in front of you."

Nathan slowly nodded. "Guess that's true." They usually ordered take-out whenever Nathan came over. "You just don't look so great."

"Well I kind of did spent the entire night hugging the toilet." The blonde eventually admitted.

"Stomach bug?"

"I think I might have ate something funky last night without realizing it." She had dined on Mexican food last night and less then an hour later she was kneeling over the toilet bowl.

"Damn that sucks. You gonna be okay?"

"I think so. I still feel gross though so I'm just gonna hop in the shower, see if it makes me feel better."

"Cool I'll stick around and then we could go out for lunch." Nathan offered.

Peyton made a face. "Sure, if I can keep it down. My stomach still feels a little funny."

"Well you gotta eat something eventually." Nathan obnoxiously pointed out.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Fine." She nodded knowing Nathan was just trying to look out for her. "I'll be quick." She added before disappearing towards the back of her small apartment.

"I'll be here." Nathan waved Peyton off and made his way inside her kitchen for a drink. He grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and took a seat at the small kitchen table in the corner of the room. He then notices that Peyton's laptop is on the table and he slides it his way to use. There's some basketball stats he's been meaning to check out so he decides to make himself busy while Peyton's still in the shower. Taking a sip of his water Nathan clicks on the touchpad immediately bringing the computer to life. He takes a look at the screen and chokes on his water, his eyes instantly widening at the information in front of him. It had taken him completely off guard.

"Holy shit." Nathan breathed out in surprise as he scrolls down the screen and decides to investigate further.

* * *

Twenty minutes later and Peyton returns feeling a hell of lot better. There still a slight pounding to her head, but then again she hasn't eaten anything since last night. At this point she can feel her stomach rumbling and Nate's idea to go out for lunch is starting to sound better and better.

"Hey Nate I'm ready." Peyton announces as she makes her way towards the kitchen. She freezes in her tracks the second she catches sight of him sitting at the kitchen table completely engrossed in her laptop. She feels like the wind has just been knocked out of her.

It takes her a minute to snap out of it. "What the hell are you doing?!" The blonde barks loudly. She rushes over towards him and slams the computer shut right in Nathan's face.

Nathan looks up at his sister-in-law completely lost for words. He looks back down at the closed laptop in front of him for a spilt second before returning his gaze towards her, his eyes blinking wildly the entire time.

"Are you pregnant?" He eventually blurts out.

Peyton tightly presses her lips together swallowing hard.

* * *

She's squeezing her hands as tightly as humanly possible causing her fingernails to painfully dig into her palms while they rest over her lap. She's unable to relax at all as she sits in the front passenger seat of Nate's car, her left leg wildly jumping up and down. The blonde feels absolutely sick to her stomach and it has nothing to do with her empty stomach, but everything to do with the crushing feeling of terror she feels of what's to come.

Nathan glances over at Peyton. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." He tells her, placing a hand off the wheel and resting it over her jittery leg.

Peyton nods weakly and while she appreciates the support it does absolutely nothing to ease her mind. How could she possibly relax now when things were so uncertain?

She looks over at Nathan again, watching him drive down the street. Out of all the people in her life he's the last person she would have ever expected to be at her side right now. This wasn't his role to play but he was doing it nonetheless. She couldn't believe how close they had grown in such a short amount of time.

 _"Are you pregnant?"_

 _Peyton's jaw slightly drops to speak but hesitation takes over. "I don't know what you're talking about." She weakly defends._

 _Nathan offers a sad look in her direction. "Peyton there's at least half a dozen tabs open listing common pregnancy symptoms."_

 _Peyto brings the laptop in her hands up to her chest, hugging it tightly in a protective manner. "That's none of your business Nathan. How dare you snoop through my personal property." She scolds him. She didn't want to talk about this. He wasn't supposed to know. No one was. Not until she'd figured everything out first._

 _"I wasn't snooping Peyton. I swear. I was just going to look up some sports news while you showered. It was an accident."_

 _"I don't wanna talk about this anymore." She said dismissively._

 _"Are you really pregnant?" Nathan pressed on ignoring her. "Does my brother know?" The younger Scott then shook his head already knowing the answering. There was no way Lucas wouldn't be on a plane back home if he knew that Peyton was pregnant._

 _"No. I..." She began to stammer._

 _"You have to tell him Peyton." Nathan said firmly. "You cannot keep this from him. He has a right to know."_

 _"No." Peyton quickly replied._

 _"No?! Are you crazy? You have to tell him!"_

 _Peyton quickly shook her head. "No, I mean no as in I don't know if there's even anything to tell. I don't know okay?" She blew out a breath as Nathan raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know whether I am or not." She explained. "I just...I don't know."_

 _Nathan paused. His shoulders dropped as he released a sigh. "How long have you suspected?" He wondered._

 _"A couple of hours." She revealed quietly. "The possibility just kind of occurred to me this morning, but honestly it could be nothing. Maybe I'm just being paranoid."_

 _"So you haven't taken a test yet then?"_

 _Peyton timidly shook her head._

 _"Why?"_

 _The blonde slowly shrugged. "Because I'm scared." She replied with tears in her eyes._

 _Nathan immediately jumped out of his seat and pulled the fragile blonde into his arms, hugging her tightly._

When Peyton had woken up this morning she had felt tired and shitty from not getting any sleep and throwing up all evening. The possibility of being pregnant had never occurred to her though. Sure she'd been eating a lot, but that in itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Contrary to her small frame she'd always had a healthy appetite. For as long as she could remember people had always playfully teased her for how much food she could scarf down in one sitting. She also hadn't put on any significant weight either, maybe a pound or two, but she also hadn't been very healthy in her eating habits either. She'd been pigging out on nothing but junk food lately, but still that wasn't out of the ordinary either. In the past whenever she was sad, or had a bad day, or had done poorly on a exam binging on junk food was kind of her thing. So yea all this time she thought she had just been eating her feelings, not possibly eating for two. There was also the fact that she hadn't experienced any morning sickness whatsoever. Last night was the first night she had thrown up and pregnant people only threw up in the morning right? Hence the name morning sickness right? The only reasonable explanation was food poisoning. She ate a bad burrito. Case closed.

And so being pregnant wasn't something Peyton would have considered up until this morning. She had been in the kitchen making coffee and had paused to look at the calendar hanging over the fridge door.

She was late.

Not terribly late, only about a week, but nonetheless it sounded an alarm in her head as panic took over. She was NEVER late. EVER. Since the age of 14, each month her period came right on schedule. It never faltered or played tricks on her. It was never late.

The panic and fear that set in took over immediately chilling Peyton to her very core. It couldn't be possible. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this. Not right now.

She had spend the entire morning glued in front of her laptop frantically searching pregnancy symptoms up until Nathan had shown up at her door. She had been foolish enough to leave her computer out after she had let him in. She wanted to kick herself for that.

Everything Peyton had read online scared the shit out of her as the possibility of being pregnant seemed to increase. It would definitely explain the sudden shifts in her mood as of late. She'd go from 0 to 100 unexpectedly and lately it had been getting harder and harder to control. It would also explain her lack of energy and motivation lately. Most days she just wanted to stay in bed and sleep the day away. These were all things she blamed on Lucas' departure, but maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe she really was carrying around a child unbeknownst to her.

This was fucking terrifying.

"We're here." Nathan announced as he slows down the car, carefully looking around for a parking spot. After Peyton had fessed up that she wasn't sure if she was pregnant or not, Nathan had gently suggested that they needed to make a trip to the drugstore. Putting it off wasn't going to do Peyton any good and she reluctantly agreed.

Between two cars Nathan finds an empty spot right in front of the drug store and like a pro he parallel parks his jeep in there. He turns off the car and they both click off their seatbelts. "One step at a time okay?" He tells Peyton noticing that she still hasn't made any moves to get out of the car. The worry on her face is apparent.

Peyton rapidly nods her head and takes another minute before eventually slipping out of the car. Nathan waits for her at the curb and takes Peyton's hand into his, linking their fingers as they enter the drugstore together. He had driven them to the one a little further out of town at Peyton's request. She wanted to avoid running into anyone they knew. It was bad enough Nathan knew now and she wasn't comfortable risking the chance of anyone else finding out just yet.

Together they walked down the aisles of the store in silence until they manage to locate the right one. The entire time Nathan patiently waits for Peyton as she browses through the shelf and contemplates all the different pregnancy tests available.

It's completely overwhelming. There are too many brands to choose from and the panic inside of her rises. How the hell was she supposed to know which test to pick out? She had never been in this situation before. She had always been really careful when it came to sex. She had never played those games in order to avoid this exact situation. She was on birth control. How could she be pregnant? Especially at a time like this?

When Peyton finally picks one out Nathan takes the box off her hands, links their hands once more and leads her to the counter. She says nothing as she watches Nathan place the pregnancy test on the checkout counter and proceeds to pay for it. She also avoids the look the cashier gives both her and Nathan.

A pure look of pity.

 _Just great._

After Nathan purchases the pregnancy test, he hands the bag to Peyton and they exit the store still hand in hand, jumping back into his truck to head back to Peyton's place.

* * *

"Everything okay in there?" Nathan calls out. Peyton's been locked in the bathroom for the past ten minutes.

"Yea...I just need a minute." He hears Peyton mumble through the door.

"Take all the time you need. I'm right out here if you need me okay?"

"Okay." Peyton meekly confirms.

"Do you need more water?" Nathan questioned. "I can get you more water!" He added feeling the need to be more useful.

"No I'm okay on water." Peyton answers. "I'll be out soon."

"Okay." Nathan sighs. He leans up against the wall and slides down to the floor and continues to wait. He wishes he could do more to help. He had wanted to call Brooke and Haley to be here for Peyton, but he knew that move would only anger the blonde. It would only serve to push her away and so he refrained.

On the other side of the door Peyton is sitting on the toilet staring at the unopened box in her hands. In the next couple of minutes her entire world might drastically change. She feels like she can't breathe. There's this painful feeling in her chest and she simply can not find the strength to go through with this. What if she really is pregnant? Then what? Was that supposed to be good news? Bad news? Fucked up news?

Deciding it's finally time she get on with it, Peyton takes in a deep breath and rips into the package.

A few minutes later Nathan hears the click of the doorknob as the bathroom door opens and Peyton finally reappears. He picks himself up from off the floor and steps closer to her. Peyton's face bares no emotion making it difficult for him to read her. "Well?"

* * *

Yes I know, I know, the dreaded cliffhanger. Sorry I had to do this to you guys, but I promise the next chapter will pick back up right where we left off. I won't drag it out. Drop them reviews and let me know how you feel about this one.

Chapter Track: 'Is It any Wonder' By Keane

And yes, I changed my username. I've kept it the same for like a decade now, it was time for a change. New year, new me.

Until next time!


	47. The Answers We Seek

Reviews

 **Guest** \- The love letters definitely gave Peyton a sneak peak into the kind of love her and Lucas had, but yes I agree that she has to come into her own emotions. Thanks for reading.

 **Emma -** Old username was DiDevil.

 **ShowchoirLISA –** Thank you so much! Whatever the outcome is I hope you won't be disappointed.

 **MCNJSmiler** \- Glad you liked it.

 **Shazzles** \- Thanks!

 **Talz** \- Glad you liked the cemetery scene. I went back and forth on it a lot.

 **jordana60 –** The whole pregnancy issue won't be dragged out, I promise. You'll get your answer in the opening scene of this chapter.

 **Demi101** \- Thanks for reading!

 **Guest** \- Keep reading to find out!

 **Guest** \- Thanks for binge reading all 46 chapters of this thing. Quite impressive, lol.

 **thibbs65 –** I love that Nate's there for her. His issues with Haley will be addressed in due time.

 **Tpassions** \- Totally wasn't offended, I just wanted to set the record straight. I knew you didn't mean anything in a negative way, after all you've been supporting this story from the very beginning!

* * *

 ** _Hi lovelies! Okay so here's the correct chapter. I'm so sorry about that, totally didn't realize I uploaded the wrong file! Thanks for your patience! I love you all! And thank you for all the awesome reviews last chapter!_**

 ** _This chapter is mostly Pathan again with a little Jamie & Lydia too! I know you're all eager to read on so without further ado..._**

* * *

Chapter 47: The Answers We Seek

Nathan waited with bated breath. The suspense was killing him so much you'd think he was the one who was possibly knocked up not Peyton. He could only imagine what was going through her head right now. She was probably losing her mind. He remembered how crazy he and Haley had been in this exact situation years ago when they first discovered they were having Jamie.

Peyton's was pale again, the color of her face completely drained much like earlier this afternoon when Nathan had first arrived.

"Well?" Nathan repeated. "Peyton." He spoke her name firmly, hoping to capture her attention.

Peyton snapped out of her trancelike state and refocused all her attention at her brother-in-law. "It's negative." She croaked before releasing a loud sigh. "It's negative." She repeated while her left hand gripped tightly around the pregnancy test stick. "I'm not pregnant."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Little by little she could feel the weight of the dread she'd been experiencing all day slowly melt away. Her hands were still shaking though. That had been a close one.

"You okay?"

Peyton's gaze fell to the ground. "Not really." She admitted before allowing her body to sink down to the floor. She wasn't pregnant and it was a relief, but still she felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to throw up all over this floor right now. She didn't know what was more overwhelming, the fear of not knowing only mere minutes ago or the rush of feelings that followed now that she had her answer. It didn't make any sense. Frankly speaking she probably should be performing cartwheels right about now. The burden of an unexpected pregnancy wasn't exactly something she wanted nor needed right now.

Nathan dropped to his knees. "Peyton." He placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. He quickly noticed that her entire body was slightly shaking.

"Sorry." The blonde mumbled sheepishly. She eventually mustered up the courage to look Nathan in the eye once more. "I'm sorry." She repeated. "I'm just kind of a mess right now."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." He reassured her. "I've been there. It can be a real mind fuck, especially when you're not expecting it."

"You've been almost pregnant before?" She weakly teased.

Nathan chuckled softly. "Well not quite, but when Haley found out she was pregnant with Jamie I threw up four times." He sat down beside Peyton on the floor. "Then I got into my car and drove around town over and over again."

"Smooth Romeo."

"Definitely not one of my better reactions." He playfully nudged Peyton's shoulder with his own. "We were only 18 and well I wasn't exactly thrilled at first. It felt like my entire future just drove off into the sunset without me and all I saw was Dan Scott in my future."

Peyton slowly nodded. Her eyes dropped back down to the ground as she swallowed down the lump in her throat. Her body still shook a little.

"Peyton? Are you...disappointed? You know that you're not..."

Peyton quickly shook her head. "Of course not...that's crazy." She exhaled. "I don't want a baby, not at all." She took that opportunity to chuck the pregnancy test in her hand across the floor. "Being pregnant is just something I can't afford to go through right now even if I wanted a baby. It's just not the right time."

"So you're happy then?" Nathan asked.

"Of course!" She hoarsely exclaimed whipping her head in his direction. How could he think otherwise?

"It's okay if you're not." He spoke after a beat.

Peyton blinked back tears. "I don't want a baby Nathan. Maybe someday, but that day is not today. I know I should probably be running up and down the apartment celebrating but...I just feel...relieved yet really...strange."

"There isn't one right way to feel about this. You can feel strange. You can feel whatever the hell you wanna feel."

Peyton silently nodded. She blew out a breath, throwing her head back as she closed her eyes and allowed a small stream of tears to run down her cheeks. "I'm not sad about not being pregnant...I guess I'm just sad that Lucas isn't here right now."

"I know, I know, I'm a poor substitute for your future baby daddy right now."

Peyton elbowed Nathan's side. She smiled a little. "No, thank you Nate, really. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here for me today. And as much as I hate to admit it sometimes I didn't wanna do this alone and you've been wonderful, but..."

"I'm not Lucas. It should have been him here today, not me."

Peyton chewed on her bottom lip and nodded. "I really needed him today. What if I had been pregnant?" She said tearfully before wiping some tears. "He should have been here."

"Lucas would have been here if he knew." Nathan defended his brother. "You know that."

"He called me a couple of days ago." Peyton confessed.

"Well it's about damn time. That's great Peyton." He'd been putting the pressure on his older brother for weeks now to call Peyton. "I'm glad to hear you two are finally starting to work things out."

Peyton scoffed. "That's not why he called."

Nathan's lips pouted slightly.

"No instead he called to say he's not coming home." The blonde added bitterly.

"Wait. What?" He was shocked. That didn't sound like his brother at all.

"Apparently Lucas would rather sign autographs than see me again. The book tour got extended and he okay'd it."

"That's...I'm sure there's more to it than that." Nathan reasoned.

"Doesn't seem like it."

"But he is coming back home Peyton, right?"

Peyton nodded. "He said two weeks."

"Well at least you guys are talking again." Nathan spoke trying to bring out a silver lining.

The blonde shrugged. "I haven't heard from him since."

"Well regardless you should call him now. He'd want to know about this."

Peyton shot Nathan an exasperated look. "I am not calling him." She sternly stated. "There's nothing to tell."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm not pregnant Nate. What's the point? I can deal with this all by myself just fine."

"He'd still wanna know Peyton and hey you're not alone. You have me and you have Lucas too even if he's not here right now."

"I just...don't wanna make a big deal out of nothing."

"It's not nothing!"

"I'm not pregnant!" Peyton hissed at his insistence.

Nathan shook his head. "That's not the point Peyt and you know it. You should tell him."

"If I were pregnant I'd be calling him right now, but I'm not so it's pointless. I've got enough drama with Lucas as it is. This might just put more of a strain on things."

"You don't know that."

"You can't tell him."

"Peyton!"

"Promise me Nathan. You can't tell Lucas or anyone for that matter. Promise me."

Nathan shook his head. "I don't like this Peyton."

"When Lucas comes home then I'll tell him about the pregnancy scare. I promise." Peyton tried to appease him.

"Peyton you can't just ask me to keep something like this from Luke."

"It's not your news to tell Nathan."

Nathan blew out a frustrated breath. She was right about that. "Fine." He mumbled in agreement though he was far from happy. "But you will tell him though, right?"

"I will." Peyton nodded. "Eventually."

"Okay."

"Thank you." She offered up a small smile before scooting her body a bit closer to rest her head on his shoulder. "And thank you for today." Peyton quietly spoke. "You didn't have to help me today, but I'm grateful."

Nathan snorted. "I didn't have to help you? Well now you're just being ridiculous." He said with an eyeroll. "We're family Peyton and I love you. I'll always have your back. I promise."

Peyton closed her eyes shut and swallowed hard. There was that dreaded three letter word again causing her chest to tighten.

Why was it so hard to say it back?

She shook off the feeling , pushing those thoughts towards the back of her mind. She really didn't want to think about much of anything right now.

"So how are things with you and Hales?" Peyton asked Nathan. She was happy to talk about anything else that didn't revolve around her. It was a distraction she welcomed.

"Well..." Nathan released an awkward chuckle. "What can I say? She's still pissed."

"Can you really blame her?"

"No."

"I still can't believe you did that."

"It was an honest mistake!" Nathan defended.

It really had been. A couple of weeks ago Nathan's agent had set up a dinner with some execs from the Chicago Bulls. It was just supposed to be another routine business meeting as they tried to convince Nathan to sign on with them. In other words it was just a lot of ass kissing on both sides. Nathan had of course been extremely excited about this particular meeting. It was the Chicago motherfucking Bulls. Home of North Carolina native Michael Jordan, Scott Pippen, Jerry Sloan, and Bob Love. Actually playing for the Bulls was a long-life dream of Nathan's, but of course it wasn't a done deal. He had still been weighing all his other options and of course there were Haley and the kids to consider. That dinner was just suppose to be a friendly introduction or at least that was the original plan. Apparently the excitement had gone to Nathan's head – along with several drinks – and everything the Bulls were promising him was music to his ears and before he knew it he was blurting out that he was going to sign with them. Luckily Nathan's agent had quickly jumped in and diffused the situation with a joke, but it was too late. By the next morning the rumor mills had caught wind of the dinner and every sports network in the country was reporting that Nathan Scott and the Chicago Bulls were pretty much a done deal. When Nathan flew back home the next day Haley had already seen the headlines and she was not happy. She felt like Nathan had gone behind her back, which of course had never been his intention. He had jumped the gun unintentionally, but of course he would never just sign on to a new team without her support. It had all been an innocent slip of the tongue. His love for the game and the Bulls had gotten the best of him. He hadn't been thinking.

"Besides I haven't signed with them." Nathan quickly added. "There was nothing ever set in stone."

"Yea but it's gonna make you look bad if you go back on your word right?"

Nathan paused, his mouth then sinking into a frown. "Well yea probably, but that's the business. People change their minds all the time and I've got tons of other offers in the pot. I would never go to Chicago or anywhere else for that matter without Haley. I've been trying to make it up to her."

"Well at least she's talking to you." Peyton muttered.

Nathan smiled. Even though Haley was still upset they still pretty much saw each other every other day. They did have two kids after all. "She let me take her out to the dinner the other night."

"Let you huh?" The blonde teased.

"Shut up."

"How was the dinner?"

"Lingering with tension, but it was fine. We talked a lot. We're still talking I guess."

"She loves you Nate. You two will be fine." Peyton reassured him.

"Yea, but I still got a hell of lot more ass-kissing to do."

"Damn straight you do."

Nathan sent Peyton a knowing look. "Oh I'm not the only one."

"Fair point." Peyton frowned. Nathan wasn't the only one who had fucked up. "God when did we become such hot messes? We really need to get our shit together."

"You're tell me." Nathan replied while nodding. "When did life get so complicated?"

"Oh right around the time I got hit by a car and forgot pretty much everything. You on the other hand...well you're just a big fool, at least I have an excuse.

"Shit." Nathan mumbled. "You really did get screwed didn't you?"

"Yep." Peyton replied making sure to loudly pop the p at the end. "I win. Game over."

"Wanna go get drunk?" He suggested with a shrug after a few minutes of silence had passed.

"Okay."

Why not? The rest of the day was pretty much a bust anyway.

* * *

The next day Nathan shows up at Peyton's door again. He has the kids all to himself for the next few days. Haley's older sister Quinn happened to be in Atlanta for work and invited Haley to join her since they rarely are able to see each other. Nathan had decided to bring the kids over to cheer Peyton up. Last night they had killed a bottle of Jack together and watched a couple of movies, and although Peyton's mood appeared to have improved a little, Nathan could tell that she was obviously still pretty shook up from the pregnancy scare. She needed to be distracted and Jamie and Lydia were the perfect distraction. His two goofy kids had the ability to make anyone laugh.

"What's wrong with Aunt Peyton?" Lydia asked with a frown as the three of them stood in the kitchen observing Peyton, who had her forehead pressed up against the table.

"Aunt Peyton had little too much adult juice last night." Nathan quipped.

"What kind of juice?" Lydia wondered.

Peyton slightly lifted her head off the table to glare at Nathan. "This is all your fault." She accused.

Nathan sent her an innocent look.

"It's smells in here." Jamie commented with a face.

"Aunt Peyton's sloppy with her juice." Nathan quipped once more.

"I am not!" Peyton said a little too loudly making her own ears ring.

"Was it apple juice?" Lydia spoke. "That's my favorite."

"I'm pretty sure apple juice didn't do this to Aunt Peyton." Jamie said while cracking a smile.

"Did you three just come here to poke fun at my misery all day?" Peyton rolled her eyes and spoke up.

Nathan chuckled. "Jamie why don't you get your Aunt Peyton a glass of cold water and fire up her coffee maker. Liddy you can come help me find some Advil for your aunt."

"I wanna stay here with Aunt Peyton." Lydia announced. She pulled the chair out nearest to Peyton, struggling a bit, and then sat down.

"Okay kiddo." Nathan headed towards the bathroom to look for the Advil.

"Did the juice make you sick Aunt Peyton?"

"Something like that sweetheart." Peyton managed to mumble out. "You've ever had a hangover before Lydia?" She groaned feeling the pounding in her head increase.

Jamie laughed loudly at the question.

Lydia pouted as her eyes darted back and forth in confusion. "What's a hangover?"

"The result of poor decision-making."

* * *

It takes a few hours – with a couple of naps in between – but eventually Peyton recovers. The four Scotts are squeezed into Peyton's couch watching a movie. Lydia is curled up in her favorite aunt's lap, while Jamie is resting against Nathan's side. The blonde had pretty much spent the entire afternoon smiling and laughing with the kids. It was nice to have them here. She really hadn't spent too much time with Jamie and Lydia lately and today had been fun. Lydia had dragged her and Nathan to play tea party together. Then she had sat down with Jamie and taught him a few drawing techniques. He had been asking her to teach him for a while now and for a first timer he wasn't too shabby. The youngest Scott boy had picked it up fairly quickly, all he needed was to practice. Later in the afternoon the foursome had hit up the supermarket, picking up ingredients to make a homemade pizza. The kitchen was left a floury mess, but the half cheese, half pepperoni pizza they created was a huge success.

"We should get going." Nathan announced noticing the time. "It's getting late."

"Aw do we have to!" Lydia cried out unhappily.

"Yup we gotta go. It's way past bedtime Liddy."

Liddy turned around in Peyton's lap and buried herself in the blonde's chest hugging her tightly and completely ignoring her father. Peyton chuckled hugging her little niece back and placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

Nathan rolled his eyes and shook his head. His daughter was much too dramatic for his liking, much like his own mother. "C'mon Lydia we gotta go, say goodbye to Aunt Peyton. You can see her again tomorrow."

Nathan's phone rang. He checked it and frowned not recognizing the number. "I'm gonna take this, could be NBA related. Jamie help your sister with her shoes and coat please." He said before excusing himself from the room for a bit.

"Can't we stay here Aunt Peyton?" Lydia looked up at Peyton while sporting a hopeful smile. "Mama's away so we can sleep here instead."

"Well maybe we can have a sleepover another day, but I think right now you should probably go back and spend some time with your dad."

"Daddy doesn't sleep at home anymore." Lydia whispered loudly like it was one big secret.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "That's not forever Lydia!" He snapped defensively at his sister. "Right Aunt Peyton?"

Peyton offered a warm smile. "That's right. It's just for a little while. I'm sure he'll be home soon." She reassured him. The separation must have been tough on Jamie, especially since he was old enough to comprehend the situation better than Lydia could.

"Mama's mad at daddy." Lydia loudly whispered out again. "Just like Uncle Lucas is mad at you!"

Peyton's jaw dropped in shock. "Who told you that?" She wondered if a three year old should really know these things.

"Jamie."

Peyton looked over at Jamie who had suddenly grown quiet.

"I overheard dad talking about it." He sheepishly explained with a shrug.

"Well you guys don't have to worry about any of those things okay? It's for the adults to handle, you guys just be...kids. Okay?" She briefly wondered if that sounded right. She had never really given advice to a pair of children before. This was way out of her area of expertise.

At that moment Nathan reappeared. "Hey, could I talk to you for a minute?" He looked unsettled.

"Yea sure, okay." Peyton nodded. She slid Liddy off her lap and stood up following Nathan out of the living room.

* * *

As it turned out Lydia ended up getting her wish. The call Nathan had received had been from the hospital. Dan Scott had suffered a heart attack and his son being his emergency contact was notified. Peyton had agreed to watch the kids while Nathan drove over to the emergency room where he was meeting up with his mother. Deb had long since moved on from Dan, but she wasn't cruel enough to not at least check up on her former husband after Nathan had informed her on what happened.

"Alright you guys good?" Peyton asked both kids after tucking them into her bed for the night.

"Can you read me a story Aunt Peyton." Lydia speaks sweetly.

"You've already had three tonight." Peyton gently reminded her.

"Plwease?"

The blonde shook her head. "Tomorrow. It's very late Liddy."

"Okay." Lydia slightly huffed in disappointment.

"You need anything else Jamie?"

Jamie shook his head. "I'm okay thanks."

"Okay, good night guys. See you in the morning." Peyton moved over to switch off the light.

"Wait!" Lydia cried out scaring Peyton, who jumped slightly.

"What? What is it?"

"You didn't kiss us goodnight!" The little girl replied rather dramatically. "Mommy and daddy always give us a goodnight kiss."

Peyton blew out a chuckle. "Silly me." She teased.

Lydia giggled. "Silly you Aunt Peyton."

"Well we'll just have to amend that then." Peyton walked back towards her bed. "Goodnight Liddy." She repeated once more this time placing a kiss over the child's forehead. "Sweet dreams."

Lydia instantly flung herself at Peyton, hugging her tightly. "Goodnight Aunt Peyton. I love you."

Peyton felt her heart ache but in a good way as Lydia continued to cling on to her. She hugged her back. This little girl always manages to melt her heart over and over again. The two have always shared a close bond and the blonde hates that she can't remember any of it. Peyton can't deny that she'd been drawn to her niece since day one of meeting her again, no doubt some lingering feelings left behind despite not being able to regain what had been lost.

What Peyton did know was that she cared about this little one in her arms right now. She honestly really did.

"Hey guess what?" Peyton whispers in Lydia's ear. "I love you too."

She feels a little lighter. A little more human too. She hadn't said those words for the sake of repeating them or to make Liddy happy. She had actually meant them 100%.

And it felt pretty damn good. It's probably the best she's felt since Lucas left her.

It was nice to know that after everything she'd been through, her heart could still manage to open itself up to new people. Opening her heart to someone knew wasn't as scary as she imagined it would be and as a result her heart feels a little fuller.

"I know." Lydia squeals with conviction pulling the blonde from her thoughts.

Peyton burst out laughing. This kid was way too confident. Was it wrong to be sort of jealous of a three year old?

"Hey." Peyton turns her head over at Jamie. "I love you too buddy." She sent him a wink and squeezed his leg.

"Me too Aunt Peyton." Jamie replies with a grin.

"Okay seriously though. Bedtime. Now." She declares but then Lydia puts on a pouty look. Peyton finds herself rolling her eyes because it really was hard to say no to that face. She blows out a breath and shrugs giving in. "Okay, fine. One more story." She relents, her face cracking a smile as she observes Lydia happily jumping in her seated position on the bed.

* * *

Nathan reappears hours later. It's after one in the morning when Peyton hears the locks of her front door turn as Nathan makes his way inside the quiet apartment. She's surprised to see him, assuming he'd be at the hospital overnight considering his father did just have a heart attack.

"Didn't think you'd still be up." Nathan tosses the spare keys she had given him earlier.

Peyton easily catches them and sets them on the coffee table. "I honestly didn't think you'd be back tonight." She watches Nathan kick off his sneakers and drop his body on the couch. "How's Dan?"

Nathan's eyes snap shut and he rubs his face over and over with his hands. Peyton notices how tired and defeated he looks.

"He's stable for now." He eventually replied. "But if he doesn't get that transplant soon..."

Peyton quickly nodded understanding.

"I just need to get out of there. My mom stayed behind and sent me home." He explained. "I wanted to check up on the kids. Did they give you a hard time? I know Lydia can be handful."

"They were both fine and are soundly asleep."

"Even Jamie? Sometimes when he's in a new place he's not able to sleep through the entire night."

"He's fine Nate. Relax." Peyton reassured him. "Did you call Haley?" She wonders.

Nathan nodded closing his eyes again. "She's on the first flight out tomorrow."

"Good."

He nodded again. "I feel bad cutting her trip short. Haley doesn't get to see Quinn often because she travels so much for work, but I just...really need her to be here right now."

"It's good that you called her."

Peyton delivered a long pause before speaking again. "Are you gonna be okay? I mean I know everyone hates Dan, you included, but he's still your dad after all."

Nathan shrugged. "I don't even know what the fuck to feel right now." He admitted. "I mean it's not like I want him to drop dead or anything, but maybe this is just karma biting him the ass, finally."

"I'm sorry." She says quietly.

"Yea..." The raven haired man mumbles. "What are you drawing?" He questions, changing the subject after noticing the pencil and pad sitting over her lap.

Peyton holds up the sketch for Nathan to see.

He looks at the drawing of his daughter sleeping peacefully and then smirks. "Should I be creeped out that you're watching my kid sleep."

She shakes her head dismissively at Nathan. "Shut up." Peyton replies and then picks up her pencil and goes back to work.

"It's nice to see you draw again." He commented.

"Thanks. I'm trying to get back into the habit, but the motivation comes and goes."

"Think you'll go back to art school?"

"Doubtful." Peyton pauses. She hadn't really thought about it to be honest. "Or at least not back to New York. I guess I could see if I can get my credits transferred to a school closer to Tree Hill."

"You should go for it."

"Maybe...once things settle down around here, maybe." She added the last finishing touches to her sketch of Lydia. "You want this?"

"Nah you keep it. It's real good one and you should have it."

Peyton slowly nodded and sighed.

"You okay?"

She laughed. "I'm the one who should be asking you that."

"You already did." Nathan cheekily pointed out. "I'm fine."

"You are the opposite of fine."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Look who's talking."

"I'm fine Nate." She tells him with a smile. "Today was actually a pretty good day despite the massive hangover." She teased. "Which I still fully blame you for by the way."

Nathan scoffed loudly.

"But thanks for bringing the kids over today. I really needed that. They made me realize something tonight."

"Realize what?"

"That I'm not as damaged or too far gone as I thought I was."

Nathan's face fell. "Is that how you really see yourself?"

She shrugged and replied. "Sometimes."

"Well don't okay? You are not damaged Peyton. You're just not perfect, that's all. No one is and you're being way too hard on yourself."

"You know me, it's what I do. I can't help it."

Nathan shook his head disagreeing. "Have you talked to him?"

Peyton's eyes narrowed because she knows exactly who Nathan's referring too and she's not in the mood.

"Have you?" She instantly challenges.

Nathan nodded. "I told him about Dan."

Her heart skips realizing that thought hadn't even occurred to her. "And? Is he okay?"

Nathan shrugged. "Well he's not exactly racing home to be by Dan's side if that's any indication and I don't blame him. I get it. It doesn't change anything between them. Anyway I still think you should call him Peyton. You need to tell him about what happened yesterday."

"Nathan we already talked about this. I'll tell Lucas when he comes back home. It'll be better face to face. I don't want to have that conversation over the phone."

"And I think that's a mistake."

Peyton rolled her eyes annoyed. "Duly noted."

"I'm just saying that if it were me I'd wanna know. I'd wanna be there for you and Lucas can't exactly do that if he doesn't know. I know my brother and he's gonna be pissed Peyton."

"So what I tell him that I'm not pregnant and then he just comes rushing back home to be with me? That's not what I want Nathan. I don't want him back like that."

"That's not your call Peyton. You don't get to make those kind of decisions for him, but what you do have to be is honest with him. So be honest with him okay?"

"I will. When he gets back."

Nathan opened his mouth to argue back.

"Can we drop it please?" Peyton quickly added before he could get a word out.

Nathan sighed and closed his lips shut.

* * *

Sorry guys I know many of you were looking forward to a pregnant Peyton, but I didn't want it to go down like that. It was always planned that way. Also aren't Lydia and Peyton the cutest?! Please review and share your thoughts on this latest chapter.

Next up: A little Leyton and Brooke's baby shower.

Until next time!


	48. Today's Battle, Tomorrow's Heartbreak

Can't believe it took me this long to finish this chapter. Really sorry guys, my downtime is just really nonexistent these days. I'm kind of in a crunch so no time for replying to reviews this time- sorry! But something tells me you rather get into the chapter anyway. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Ya'll give me life, no joke.

Also apologies for any spelling/grammar errors, like I said I'm sort of in a rush today.

* * *

Chapter 48: Today's Battles, Tomorrow's Heartbreak

"Yo." Nathan Scott greeted his older sibling over the line.

"Oh hey loser." Lucas playfully replies fully aware of the fact that the Bobcats not making it to the playoffs was still a sore spot.

"So he lives." Nathan mocks ignoring Lucas' jab. He hadn't heard from Lucas since calling last week to inform him about Dan's emergency trip to the hospital.

"Funny." The blond mocked back before sighing loudly. "Sorry about that though." He adds, his tone turning more serious. "I should have checked up on you since then...it's just that things have been so..."

"Yeah I know man." Nathan replied quickly forgiving him. There were no hard feelings. "Believe me I get it. Shit's really confusing when it comes to Dan and plus the stuff with Peyt too, so don't worry about it."

"But you're hanging in there okay?"

"Yea I'm alright. He's been released, but if he doesn't get that transplant soon..."

"Yea..." Lucas quietly answered. "I wish there was something more I could say Nathan. I just..."

"I know. I don't expect you to magically change the way you feel about the man. Hell I still hate him too, but he's my dad. What else am I suppose to do? I can't change that fact."

"But I am here for you, okay?"

"I know man thanks."

"I'll be home soon." He then revealed.

A smile formed on Nathan's face. It was about damn time. "Really? Great! When?"

"Next Thursday."

"Which means you get to miss the baby shower tomorrow you lucky son of a bitch." Sure Nathan was excited for Brooke and Julian, but he hated attending those type of events.

Lucas lightly chuckled. "I'm actually sad to miss it. Unlike some people I know I can actually appreciate the fact that two of our best friends are having a baby." He goaded playfully at his brother.

Nathan scoffed. "Yet here you are on the other end of the line missing your 'best friends' shower all because you're too chicken shit to face Peyton. You are so full of it man."

He knew he had hit a nerve after hearing Lucas suck in his teeth.

"So anyway can you pick me up from the airport next week?" Lucas questioned instead. He had received more than enough lectures about Peyton from both his brother and Haley.

"I mean I could... or you could just ask your wife to make the drive." Nathan suggested in a strong tone. He could hear his brother release a loud breath over the line. "And speaking of your lovely wife have you called her recently?" He was still pretty bothered with the fact that Peyton had decided to put off telling Lucas about her pregnancy scare. It didn't sit right with Nathan. Not one bit.

"Not recently." Lucas admitted sheepishly. They hadn't spoken, but he had been reading those love letters she had sent him over and over again – of course he wasn't about to tell Nathan all that. That was something private and intimate between him and Peyton. Something that should remained shared between the two of them.

"Oh you mean not since you called her up on your anniversary to tell her that you weren't coming home?"

The older Scott groaned. "She told you that?" He questioned feeling slightly embarrassed at the revelation.

"Dick move man."

Lucas sighed once more. "I'm a dick." He agreed wholeheartedly. It hadn't been his finest moment and he really should have called Peyton sooner than that. He had reached for the phone dozens of times in the weeks since departing for the book tour, but every single time he found himself shutting down unable to go through with it. He just didn't know how to start moving forward from this. He didn't know how to start forgiving Peyton. The wounds were still fresh.

But he also knew that his avoidance of the issue was in turn hurting her. It had felt good at first, but not so much anymore. No one was really winning here.

"I'm just not ready to face her yet Nate. She just really –"

"Hurt you." Nathan finished for him. "But you can't avoid Peyton forever man."

"I know. I don't want to either. Not anymore. I do miss her." Lucas admitted.

"Then call her." Nathan urged him. "You should really check up on her and see if she's okay. She could really use you right now Luke."

Lucas paused while he mulled over Nathan's words suspiciously. "Is something wrong with Peyton? Is she okay? Did something happen?" Something in his brother's tone instantly made him worry.

'Fuck.' Nathan silently mouthed to himself realizing he had pushed too far. He hadn't meant to, but he wasn't exactly that sorry either. He thought that Peyton was being utterly ridiculous, but then again he didn't want to be the one to tell Lucas about it. He didn't want to be the one to drop that bomb. That was Peyton's consequence to deal with, because Nathan knew his brother, and he knew Lucas was not going to be happy. He was going to be furious that she had prolonged telling him.

"What? Other than the fact that you skipped town on her?" He quickly retorted in a desperate attempt to save his ass. It was a cheap shot.

"And you're a shit liar Nate and we both know it." Lucas shot back not buying it.

"Shut up." Nathan replied unconvincingly. Lucas was right though. He was a terrible liar and had always preferred to just be upfront with people. It had always been his way even if it made him seem like a dick at times.

"No there's something else." Lucas argued. "I can tell. What aren't you telling me Nathan?"

"There's nothing for me to tell. Just call Peyton and say hello man. Talk to her."

"No. Don't do that. You're keeping something from me and I wanna know what it is now. Don't give me the brush off, not when it concerns Peyton. Is she really not okay?" Lucas was aware of the fact that Peyton had been miserable since he had left town, just like he'd been, but he got the feeling it was more than that. Nathan's tone seemed to imply there was much more to the situation.

"How about you just call her Luke." Though even if Lucas did call Peyton right now, she probably wasn't going to tell him anything anyway. Nathan really had screwed himself over.

"I will. I'll call her right now, but first you're going to tell me exactly what the fuck is going on." Lucas pressed harder. "If Peyton hasn't called to tell me whatever it is that's going on then there must be a reason for it and I wanna know why. So spill little brother."

"Goddammit." Nathan muttered under his breath while briefly considering just hanging up on his brother hoping to avoid this entire mess he had just created. There was still time.

But his brother deserved to know the truth, even though it wasn't his place to tell Lucas, it didn't change the fact that Lucas should have been informed since day one. He hated how stubborn Peyton and Lucas were when they both clearly still needed one another.

Then again his own marriage wasn't exactly flourishing these days, so was he really one to talk?

Nathan sighed in defeat. Peyton was going to kill him when she found out. "Okay." He took in a deep breath before continuing. "Something did happen. I mean Peyton's fine or at least she's pretending to be fine, but there is something you should know."

* * *

Peyton eyed herself in the bathroom mirror watching her fingers tread lightly underneath her hair as she carefully fluffs her blonde locks to create more volume. She straightened her hair today deciding to go for a different look instead of her signature curly mane. When Peyton deemed her hair presentable she adds one final spritz of her hairspray for hold and then exits the bathroom heading back towards her bedroom in search of the heels she'd picked out to go with the dress she's wearing today. Today was Brooke's shower, the special occasion behind why she was so dressed up today.

She hears her cell phone go off – no doubt in her mind that it's Haley calling to remind her to pick up the cake on her way to the baby shower. Peyton really didn't need the reminder, but considering the fact that she had regularly flaked on her duties - leaving poor Haley to pick up the slack - she understood why her friend had been on her case lately. It was well deserved and she really couldn't hold it against Haley.

"Coming." The blonde mumbled to herself, quickly slipping on her heels and bouncing towards the living room to retrieve her phone off the coffee table. Her breath hitched in surprise upon seeing Lucas' name flashing across the screen instead of Haley's. She knew he still wasn't back in town. Brooke had casually mentioned last week that Lucas had already called to apologize that he'd be missing the party.

She'd been disappointed at first, but in the end Peyton concluded that it was probably for the best that Lucas wouldn't be there today. Today was all about Brooke and Julian, and Peyton wanted to keep it that way. Having Lucas there would have only distracted her and she honestly couldn't afford anymore fuck ups when it came to her best friend. She wanted her Brooke back. She missed her friend. She missed their closeness. She was sick of the way they had been teetering around their fragile friendship these days and she was desperate to prove to Brooke that she could still be the kind of good friend she used to be. The kind of friend that Brooke deserved in her life. Peyton was determined to prove it and that started by throwing Brooke a kickass shower alongside Haley. Honestly if anyone deserved a throne this evening it was Haley James Scott. There really wouldn't be a shower – at least not a very good one – without Haley's assistance.

"Lucas." Peyton speaks almost breathlessly into the phone. "Hi." She's full of this nervous energy that has her feeling excited and scared simultaneously. It's difficult to guess whether his unexpected call is a good sign or a bad one. The last time they spoke it hadn't gone so well yet it doesn't halt her thoughts from turning hopeful. All Peyton wants to hear from him is that he's coming home. That he's ready to come home to her. All she wants is to still be his home. He hasn't stopped being hers. Whenever Peyton thought of home it's Lucas who she thinks of. She only hoped it was still the same for him, that there was still hope for them.

"Is it true Peyton?" Lucas releases a tired sigh before continuing. Nathan's words are still ringing in his ears. "You thought you might be pregnant?"

Her entire body instantly freezes over. She can't move.

"Is it true?!" He angrily barks over the line because she hasn't uttered a peep. She's chosen to remain silent and it only manages to upset him further. He simply can't believe that Peyton has kept this from him. It was unacceptable and there really was no excuse.

It was clear that this wasn't going to be a good conversation between them. That much was obvious. "Nathan told you." She stated weakly, finally summoning the courage to speak up.

It didn't take a genius to figure out how Lucas had found out. No one else knew besides Nathan. It was shocking to know that Nathan had ratted her out, but at the moment she didn't really have the opportunity to dwell on her brother-in-law's betrayal and how it kind of hurt. Right now she had to focus on calming Lucas down and make him understand her reasoning. She was going to tell him just not over the phone. This heated discussion while they were still thousands of miles apart was exactly what Peyton had been trying to avoid.

"Damn right he told me! You clearly weren't going to."

"I was going to tell you Lucas." She corrected. "I swear."

Lucas scoffed. "Oh yea long after the fact." He stated bitterly. "Nathan said you were waiting til I got back. That's not right Peyton. How could you not tell me? All you had to do was call me and I would of–"

"Call you?!" Peyton snapped cutting him off midsentence. Him suggesting that she should have just simply picked up the phone and called him was infuriating considering he had done nothing but dodge her attempts at communication. "I've been doing nothing but CALLING you, and texting you, and emailing you since you left and they've all gone unanswered. Every. Single. Damn. Time. So please do tell me how it was going to be any different this time? Answer me that Lucas."

It was Lucas' turn to be silent now. Peyton had clearly stumped him and frankly speaking it brought her a bit of satisfaction.

"I would have called you back." Lucas meekly replied. "Especially something this important." He argued.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Oh so I was just supposed to leave you a message saying 'oh hey Luke just calling to say I think I might be preggers! Call me back okay?!' And then just hope that you'll decide it's worth your time to give me ring. Is that what I should have done Lucas?"

"Stop making this into some kind of joke Peyton. You should have told me period. End of story. Do you think I wanted you to go through that alone?" Lucas knew she must have been freaking out. For most of her life Peyton had never been completely comfortable with the idea of having kids of her own.

"And you think that I did?" She replied with a voice that's now grown shaky. "That I didn't want you here with me? That I didn't need you?"

"I would have been if you had just...if you weren't so damn stubborn!" He argued.

She scoffed as her head shook. "I'm the stubborn one? You're the one who left Lucas. You. Not me. You left me and then you just cut me out, completely, and here you are still not willing to hear me out. How am I supposed to make things right between us if you aren't even willing to hear me out?"

"You broke my heart." Lucas harshly spat out.

Peyton sinks into the couch behind her and shuts her eyes. "I know." She replies tearfully.

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Not leave me. Not the way you did." The blonde insisted.

Lucas sighs heavily, his voice lowering a bit. "I didn't know what else to do. I just felt like I was never going to be enough for you. I was so angry with you that night. I'm still angry Peyton."

"I know." She repeats sadly.

"We were happy. I was happy. I thought you were too." His voice cracked.

"I was." She assures him. He should have realized by now that she was completely miserable without him.

"You should have fucking told me."

Peyton blows out a breath before speaking again. "I was going to...I...I just thought it would be best –"

"I don't care what you thought Peyton!" Lucas snaps at her. "You should have told me! You could have been pregnant for god sakes! Do you really not get why this is big deal? It's something we should have dealt with together." His voice booms with anger.

She really wasn't the least bit surprised by his outrage. It had been expected and hell even Nathan had warned her, but what she hadn't been excepting was having to deal with this subject while they were currently thousands of miles away from each other. To a certain extent Lucas had a right to be upset with her. She understood his frustration, but his attitude was just as equally frustrating for her. He had been the one to disappear on her and now he was making demands? It was absurd.

"You know what Lucas? I really don't have time for this right now." The blonde bit out suddenly. She paused exhaling loudly.

Just great. Now she was starting to get upset too. This wasn't what she wanted, which is why she had wanted to have this conversation face to face in the first place.

"You don't have the time?" Lucas said incredulously, taking offense at her words.

"No I don't." Peyton simply replied struggling to keep her voice neutral. "I have somewhere else to be right now." She had a baby shower to tend to and Lucas knew that, but instead he had decided to call her with this bullshit just as she was heading out the door.

"You're unbelievable."

"Me?" She snapped. "You're the one who hasn't come home Lucas. I've been here waiting for you the whole time."

"That's not fair Peyton. I needed space. You –"

"I get what I did!" She quickly cut in. "And I've taken responsibility for that, for hurting you. I'm not trying to make excuses about that, but you leaving? You actually leaving town to get away from me? That's something you have to start taking responsibility for Lucas. That was your decision. No one held a gun to your head when you made that decision. Where were you when I wanted to talk this out? Oh that's right, how could I forget, you weren't interested. You couldn't be bothered, too busy signing books and shit."

"So now you lying to me is my fault?!"

"I wasn't lying to you!" She was this close to tearing her hair out. "I was going to tell you. I was just waiting for you to come back home. You know it's not like I'm actually carrying your baby and keeping it a secret from you Lucas."

"Are you sure?"

Peyton scoffed her eyes narrowing. "Excuse you?" Lucas was seriously lucky he wasn't here right now because she would have most certainly slapped him for that last comment. "What exactly are you implying Lucas? And I suggest you think very carefully about your next choice of words."

She could hear him release a frustrated sigh over the line.

"That's not what I was trying to say." Lucas replied. This time his tone was completely void of anger. "I just meant that...if you were absolutely sure that you weren't? I mean those test aren't always 100% accurate right? Maybe we should go see a doctor, you know just incase because there could still be a possibility that you could be, and I'm coming home next week and we could –"

"Oh my god." She gripped her phone tightly. "Oh my god." She repeated. His reaction was making a lot more sense now and it was everything that she had been dreading. This immense wave of disappointment took over, the current dragging her in and holding her under with such force. "You're not really upset about the fact that I didn't tell you that I thought I could be pregnant are you? You're upset that I'm not."

"Wait, now hold on a minute..."

"You want me to be pregnant." She added quietly, though the pain in her voice was unmistakable.

"I didn't say that." Lucas defended. "And even if you were pregnant would it really be that terrible? It wouldn't be the worse thing for us. It could be a good thing. It could bring us together."

"WOW Lucas, thank you so much for that."

"Peyton –"

"Because now I know that's pretty much the only way you can justify or convince yourself to be able to be with me again." It was exactly the reason why she hadn't called him up immediately when she thought she might have been pregnant. She didn't want Lucas rushing back to her side solely for that purpose. She wanted Lucas to be by her side because that's what he wanted. Because he wanted her more than anything and not due to some unplanned pregnancy.

"Are you fucking crazy?! A baby is not going to fix our problems Lucas."

"I never said I needed a baby to be able to be with you Peyton. All I meant was that if you were pregnant I'd be okay with that. I'd be more than okay with that. I don't see the harm in confirming it with a doctor."

"I am not pregnant." The blonde gritted through her teeth. She had taken a couple of pregnancy tests since to make sure. They had all been negative. "So sorry to ruin whatever little fairy tale you'd been hoping for."

"Jesus Christ you're not even listening to me!"

"Oh I think I've heard more than enough from you." Peyton was fuming. She wished she had never picked up his call. She should have left him hanging like he had done to her these past few weeks. She should have let him have a relationship with her voicemail for awhile just to see how he much he likes it. Let him experience a taste of his own medicine for once. That's what she should have done.

Time was supposed to heal all wounds, but things between them just seemed to get worse and messier along the way. Was there really no hope? Was it really all just wishful thinking on her part that their damaged relationship was repairable?

"Do you wanna be with me Lucas?"

"Don't start Peyton."

"It's a simple yes or no."

"It's a complicated yes or no question." He quickly pointed out.

Peyton huffed in exasperation. "But I bet you would have had a different answer for me if I was pregnant." She immediately retorted.

His silence was more than enough.

"Don't come back."

"What?" Lucas questioned slightly shocked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't come back." Peyton repeated. She even surprised herself at how easily the words slipped past her lips.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm coming home."

"Well don't because for the first time since you left I don't want you to come back. I don't wanna see your face. I don't want you to come home. What for? It's not going to make me feel any better. You wanted your space Lucas? Well you got it."

She hung up.

* * *

"Finally!" Haley loudly announced as she observed Peyton storm through the doors. "You're really late."

"I'm well aware." Peyton said curtly. Her bad mood hadn't dissipated within the last 45 minutes since ending her call with Lucas. She couldn't even remember the drive over here. Feelings of absolute rage and pain swirled inside her mind and she was unable to block them out. Truth be told she didn't want to block it out. She couldn't. Staying angry was the only thing right now that was keeping Peyton from completely falling apart. She couldn't afford to break down right now.

"O-kay..." Haley quietly trailed off. "What's with you?" She questioned easily picking up on the blonde's irritated frown.

"Everything is fine Haley." Peyton replied.

"You sure about that?" Haley asked with raised eyebrows as she watched Peyton slam her purse down.

Peyton brushed off the question. "What else needs finishing up?" The two had been here the night before decorating the venue so all the hard work was done.

"Not much, just a few things here and there. Brooke's been asking about the cake though so we should probably start setting it up outside. Where is it?"

Peyton's eyes widened. "Shit." She mumbled out.

Haley's face fell. "You didn't." She gasped out hoping Peyton's reaction was just a bad joke.

Peyton closed her eyes while rubbing her temple. "F-uck."

"How could you forget!" Haley scolded. "I only reminded you like a hundred times!"

She couldn't believe she had forgotten either. Her talk with Lucas had just blinded her.

"Oh my god Brooke is going to kill you."

"It's fine, I just go run over and get it now. Brooke hasn't even seen me yet."

"It's Sunday." Haley reminded her. "The bakery closes in 15 minutes, you'll never make it in time!"

"Fuck." Peyton snapped out in anger.

"How could you forget?!"

Peyton shoulders sunk and she exhaled. "That's not important."

Haley rolled her eyes unhappy with the blonde's reply.

"I'm sorry Haley." Peyton couldn't believe she had fucked up yet again.

Haley sucked in her teeth before rushing past Peyton and heading straight for her bag sitting on the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?" Peyton called out.

"Cleaning up your mess!" Haley hissed as she pulled out her phone and quickly dialed Millie's number, who was in town for Brooke's shower. "Millie? Hey, hi! Are you and Mia still on Main street? Oh thank god. Listen could you guys do us a huge favor and pick up the cake for the shower? It's at that little bakery on the corner of Main and Jerome. Yeah that's the one. Thank you so much I really appreciate it. You're a life saver Millie. I'll see you guys in a little bit. Yeah it's already paid for. Okay great, bye."

Haley ended the call and blew out a breath. "It's handled." She informed Peyton.

"Thank you." Peyton sheepishly mumbled. "I didn't mean to forget. I just..."

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong? Is it Lucas again?"

Peyton immediately shut down. "It's nothing."

Haley chose to press further. "Something clearly must have happened in-between yesterday and today. You seemed pretty fine to me last night."

"I'm fine Hales." She didn't want to talk about this.

"I don't believe you, but I'll back off for now." Haley decided. Peyton wasn't going to willingly share anything at the moment and besides today was about Brooke anyway. All they needed to do was make sure Brooke didn't find out about Peyton's mishap and they'd be in the clear.

"Oh good you're both here!" Brooke announced her presence with an excited squeal as she enters the room. Her dark locks are pulled back into an elegant bun and she's wearing an olive colored dress that perfectly hugs her growing belly and really brings out her eyes.

Brooke skips over to the two women. "Everything looks so good guys." She smiles, her face glowing with pride. "Thank you so much. It's perfect."

Haley laughed as Brooke pulls both her and Peyton into a massive bear hug despite the huge belly in their way.

"I'm so excited."

"And we're excited for you." Haley states and Peyton quickly nods in agreement. "Where's Julian?"

"Parking the car."

"Well everything's pretty much all set and all the guest should be arriving soon." Haley informed her. "Do you wanna sit in your chair?" She teased.

"You mean my throne? Is that a serious question? Hell. Yes."

They all laughed.

"But first I wanna see how my cake turned out. Show me. Let me see." Brooke playfully wiggled her fingers out feigning impatience.

Haley and Peyton shared a look.

"The cake is not here yet, but it's on the way."

Brooke frowned. "What do you mean it's not here yet? Oh my god is something wrong with it?"

"Millie and Mia have it and they should be arriving any minute." Haley answered.

Brooke turns her face over towards Peyton. "I thought you told me you were picking up the cake?" She questioned confused.

"I did..."

"So why isn't it here with you?"

Peyton bites over her lower lip looking guilty.

"You forgot." Brooke concludes, the smile on her face quickly melting away. "You seriously forgot? Again?"

"Brooke it's fine. We still got the cake." Haley cut in trying to appease the situation.

"No Haley it's not fine. All she's done is forget. Forget showing up, forget planning anything, forget showing ANY enthusiasm at ALL for any of this."

"It was an honest mistake Brooke." Peyton spoke. "It wasn't my intention."

"You had ONE thing. Seriously you had one thing to do today and you couldn't even do that right!" All the forgotten meet ups and appointments, the barely there excuses, the sad apologies – Brooke was sick of it, all of it. She was done tiptoeing around the situation. At this point she didn't care if she looked crazy or looked like she was overreacting over some cake. This had nothing to do with a forgotten cake, far from it, but it certainly was the last straw. It was the thing that had finally pushed her over the edge and if she looked like the crazy pregnant lady then so be it. Peyton was not getting off that easy. Not this time.

"Brooke." Haley attempted to interject.

"Stay out of this Haley." Brooke hissed angrily at her.

Haley promptly closed her mouth.

It looked like Peyton was on her own.

Brooke turned her angry sights back on Peyton. "I am so sick of this! I cannot believe you."

"I'm sorry. It really was an honest mistake. I was on my way to pick it up, but then –" The blonde stopped short. She didn't want to admit that it was Lucas that had caused her to forget. It was embarrassing and she knew it was the last thing that Brooke would want to hear as a valid excuse.

"No it's not a mistake Peyton, it's called you not giving two shits about anyone but yourself these days." The brunette spat out.

"I screwed up. I know that, but the cake is on its way. You'll still have the perfect shower I promise." Peyton reassured her.

Brooke scoffed loudly before her sharp hazel eyes narrowed. "That's. Not. The. Point." She seethed through her perfectly white teeth. "You really think that's what this is about? Me having the perfect baby shower? That I'm mad about some stupid cake?" The brunette angrily shook her head. "This is about you not being…there…ever. I mean are you even the slightest bit happy for me?"

"Of course I am!" Peyton defended.

Brooke shrugged not really believing her. "It sure doesn't seem like it. You really don't seem that all interested in me…in any of this. I mean Peyton, are we really even friends anymore?"

Peyton's face fell as her mouth slightly dropped open, the confusion setting in.

That had hurt.

"Of course we're friends. You're my best friend Brooke! How could you even say that?" She tearfully yelled out.

"Then why does it seem like you rather spend time with anyone else but me." Brooke choked out sadly. "You only care about being with Lucas. You find time to hang out with Haley or hell even Mia."

"I work with them." Peyton quickly reminded her. "Of course I'm gonna see them more." She chose not to comment on her husband. Lucas was the last person she wanted to talk about right now.

"Well now you're with Nathan all the time."

Peyton sighed. Technically it was more like Nathan had decided to invade her personal space since Lucas' departure, but she also couldn't deny that hanging out with Nathan was just…easier. For the most part he didn't judge, he didn't place this pressure on her. She didn't worry about being the perfect friend with him. She knew she could just be herself and it was enough. The same pressure wasn't there like it was with Brooke.

"And you never just come to see me. You never call to see how I'm doing. You never really ask me about my pregnancy or how I feel about becoming a mom. You don't ask about my career or my marriage or anything really that's going on in my life."

Peyton stood there silently soaking in her own guilt. She couldn't deny it. Not any of it. But it also hadn't been intentional. She hadn't meant to make Brooke feel like she didn't matter, things were just so hard for her right now.

"And you were there Peyton. You were there the whole time when I couldn't get pregnant and now that I am…it's hard not to have you here the way I knew you'd always be. And I know you don't remember that and I know it's not your fault, believe me I get it. I get that you've been having a really hard time with things and with Lucas lately, but…I'm supposed to be your best friend. I've been here for you way before Lucas or any of our other friends came into the picture and I guess I just thought you'd be here for me too. That we'd be able to support each other the way we always have."

Brooke took in a deep breath, sniffling and trying her darndest not to cry. "But you aren't. You've shut me out just like you've always done with everyone else. But the thing is you've never shut me out before. Ever. And I just don't understand why. What did I do? You won't let me be here for you and you certainly don't care enough to be here for me. So yea Peyton I have to ask, are we really even friends anymore? Because I feel like I've lost my best friend forever, and she's never coming back and it hurts like hell."

Peyton quietly swallowed down a sob. Everything Brooke was saying held some truth to it, but how was she supposed to tell her best friend that it hard to be around her sometimes. That she didn't know how to be the friend she had been in the past. That it was hard having to witness her best friend move forward in life and Peyton didn't quite know how she fit into this new world sometimes. She felt stuck more often than not and it was suffocating. How was she supposed to admit that she hated how Haley was a better friend, that she knew Brooke better than her. She hated that she didn't really know her best friend like she did before and it was hard for Peyton to find her place when everything was sort of falling apart in her own personal life. It wasn't Brooke's fault of course, but that's just how Peyton felt. She couldn't help it.

"I'm trying Brooke." Was all the blonde could offer up at the moment.

"No you're not." Brooke sadly shook her head. "You haven't really tried at all. And I never really know what's going on with you because lately you won't tell me anything, and whenever you do share it's because I've had to pry the information out of you. You don't open up to me like you used to."

"I'm going to work on that. I promise." Peyton offered.

"And I have to help but wonder if I should keep fighting for this." She added quietly.

"No, don't say that Brooke." Peyton pleaded. "Things are just a little hard right now, but I'm working through it. I'm gonna do better. I wanna do better."

"Life's supposed to be hard Peyton." Brooke told her. "But that doesn't mean it's okay to completely shut down and shut out everyone around you. And it's definitely not okay to expect us to just wait around until you decide you're ready to be present again. That is not how life works. Friendships aren't supposed to be one sided and I'd like to believe I've been more than fair. More than patient and understanding."

"I never said you weren't." Peyton sharply stated.

"Then why don't you care enough? Hell why are you even here anyway? It's been damn clear from the every beginning that you've had zero interest in this party. There probably wouldn't even be a shower if it weren't for Haley and we both know that."

Peyton swallowed hard. "You want me to leave?" She questioned incredulously. "You don't want me here?"

Brooke shrugged. "You're clearly not really here anyway, whether or not you just physically happen to be present. So I don't think it really matters what I want. You're too selfish right now to really care what I want."

"What so I'm not really into party planning, I'm not into coordinating colors and playing stupid shower games, and now you wanna punish me for it?" Peyton challenged because well now she was a little pissed. She was already worked up from her fight with Lucas this morning.

"You know damn well that is not what this is about!" Brooke angrily cried out. "It's about you not being supportive. It's about you being a shitty friend. How many times do I have to say it before you're finally able to grasp it through that very thick skull of yours. It's not always about you Peyton. This might come as a shock for you, but guess what Peyton other people exist too."

"Why are you so angry with me? Your life is basically perfect and I'm just here trying not to drown underneath the massive shit that's my life now, so how about you just cut me some slack?"

At that moment Brooke looked like she was about to murder the blonde, making Haley very uncomfortable, well more so than she already was.

"My life is perfect?! Mine? Are you insane?!"

"You have everything you've ever wanted Brooke."

"Except my best friend." Brooke said through tears. "Six months ago you almost died Peyton. I almost lost my best friend and I've been pretty much a mess ever since."

Peyton's green eyes widened as Brooke continued to speak.

"And yeah okay you definitely got the raw deal here, but guess what? You weren't the only one who's mind got fucked up because of that accident. I sat with you every day while you were in that coma thinking you were never going to wake up again. Haley and Nathan were stuck back here in Tree Hill unable to see you. And you and Julian used to be such close friends and now you can barely look him in the eye. How do you think they felt? How do you think I felt? It's changed all our lives Peyton, but you've never cared enough to stop and the take time to ask. You've been too blind."

"I'm only human Brooke. How was I supposed to know? You've always seemed fine."

"I did that for you Peyton. I acted like everything was fine because I knew you needed me, that your wellbeing was more important, so I kept it in and I guess that was my mistake. Maybe I should have confided in you how I was really feeling, but then again you really haven't given me many opportunities to do so. We've been disconnected for some time now and you're to blame for that."

"I'm not a mind reader Brooke. That's not fair."

"You used to be. You always used to be able to tell when something was wrong with me. You knew things have been off and you've done everything you could to just avoid it – avoid me. But I guess things are different now and we're probably never going to be friends like we used to. Maybe it's time I start accepting that." She added coldly.

"I don't believe that." Peyton replied furiously shaking her head. Brooke was still her best friend. She would always be her best friend.

"Well I don't believe you." Brooke shrugged and released a sad sigh. "I wish I could Peyton and I don't want to feel like this anymore, so...I think, maybe it's best if you go. It's not like you really wanna be here anyway."

"Brooke." Was Brooke really kicking her out of the baby shower before it even began?

"God forbid I rub my perfect life in your face." She mocked with attitude.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry I shouldn't have –"

"It's too late for that Peyton." She answered dismissively.

"Brooke." The tears had already begun as Peyton pleaded with her. "You're my best friend." She needed Brooke. She couldn't lose her too. Why on earth had she forgotten that fucking cake? Everything would have been just fine now if she had picked it up like she was supposed to, if she had never talked to Lucas this morning, if Nathan had never opened his big fat mouth. Once again everything was falling apart.

For a split second it appeared that Brooke had softened. The anger in her face had been swept away and replaced with a look of concern, a look of sympathy. Then suddenly her face gave away a pained look, her bottom lip trembling as she burst into tears, her chest violently heaving as her sobs grew louder and louder.

Concerned, Haley took a step forward. "Brooke are you okay?"

"I'm sorry. I just need a minute." Stilling sobbing Brooke violently shook her head before turning on her heels and rushing out of the room as fast as she could manage without tripping over her own two feet.

"Brooke!" Haley called out after her. Her and Peyton were both left stunned.

It was then that they noticed both Mia and Millie awkwardly standing by the doorway for god knows how long.

"So I hear someone's missing a cake?" Mia awkwardly joked as she held it up.

The stupid cake that had set off this whole mess.

"I don't think that helps." Millie quietly mumbled to Mia.

"Did I mentioned I get super awkward in awkward situations?" Mia replied while frowning.

With a worried look Haley whipped her face back over to Peyton, who looked like she was about to have a breakdown of her own, much like Brooke just mere seconds ago. She looked back towards the doorway hoping to still catch a glimpse of Brooke, who had disappeared rather quickly. She turned back to face Peyton.

Haley was torn. They were both her dearest friends and it saddened her to see them both looking so pained right now. She wanted to be there for them both, but instead she was now stuck in the middle.

"I'm so sorry." She said while motioning towards the door, ultimately deciding to go after Brooke.

Peyton bravely pressed her lips together tightly and silently nodded, swallowing down the huge lump in her throat. Brooke was very upset and not to mention very pregnant so it made sense that Haley wanted to go after her. It still stung though.

Peyton watched Haley quickly run out of the room. She really was all alone now.

"Listen, Peyton…" Mia began.

"NOT NOW Mia." Peyton quickly brushed away Mia's reaching arm. She grabbed her things and stormed passed them making her exit with her blurry tear-filled vision. On her way out of the building she ran straight into Julian, quite literally. The forced collusion had almost knocked her down, but Julian had been quick to catch her.

"Whoa easy there." Julian chuckled at her. "You okay?" He questioned with a frown.

The blonde quickly shoved Julian off her. "Just leave me alone okay? Everyone just needs to leave me alone!" She screeched out.

Julian immediately backed off, taking a step back and holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, sorry." He apologized surprised by Peyton's outburst.

"What the hell was that all about?" He muttered to himself while scratching the back of his head, watching Peyton head towards her car in the parking lot.


	49. Paint it Black

Chapter 49: Paint It Black

"You did what?!" Haley cried out, practically screeching into the phone.

Out of all the dumb things she had witnessed her best friend do throughout their twenty plus years of friendship – this really took the cake.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" She continued on, scolding Lucas over the line. "How could you even say that to her?!"

Now she understood why Peyton had been so moody when she'd arrived at the shower earlier.

 _"I didn't say anything to her! Not in those words anyway. She was putting words in my mouth Hales. I barely had time to react."_

Haley scoffed. "Well it doesn't sound like you really went out of your way to convince her otherwise." With her free hand she began rubbing her temple, feeling a headache coming on.

She was exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. She had spent the last twenty minutes trying to console an inconsolable Brooke, who hadn't stopped sobbing since her confrontation with Peyton. About five minutes ago Julian had stepped in and relieved her. Haley only hoped he'd have better luck at calming his wife than she had.

Then Lucas had called asking for Peyton, sounding absolutely desperate to talk to her. He'd been calling her cell non-stop, but he was getting nothing but voicemail. Peyton of course was long gone by then. It was only a couple of minutes ago that Mia had told her how Peyton had ran off refusing to talk to anyone. It made Haley feel terrible. Guilty for leaving her to go take care of Brooke. She wanted to be there for both of her friends. It was an impossible situation.

After Haley had informed Lucas of what had happened between Brooke and Peyton, he had come clean to her, revealing Peyton's whole pregnancy scare and their fight over the phone this morning.

"I mean honestly Lucas...is that...is that really what you wanted? I know how much you want a family Lucas and I know how close you were to getting that before the accident...but this...this is not the way to get what you want."

She could hear him sigh in defeat.

 _"I fucked up."_

"Lucas Eugene Scott you need to get your shit together and come home. I think you've punished Peyton long enough. If you keep this up you are going to destroy whatever chance you have left of salvaging your marriage." She advised.

Lucas groaned.

 _"Really Hales, my middle name? You sound like my mom."_

"You're just lucky I haven't told your mom! She'd rip you a new one so fast for the way you've been behaving."

 _"Hales...I didn't mean to make her think...to think that I didn't want her...that I only cared about having a baby...I love her Haley."_

"I know you do." She reassured him. There were no doubts in her head about that. She knew how much Lucas loved Peyton. He'd physically move mountains for her if he could.

 _"I just...I dunno I was so mad that she didn't tell me and then a small part of me was a little hopeful, a little excited about it...that maybe if it turned out that we were pregnant then maybe it could save us...that it would bring us closer. That we would really be a real family. And that way I'd never lose her. She'd always be mine. That she'd finally love me."_

Haley sighed. She felt for her best friend, she really did. As hard as these past six months had been for the rest of them, the pain Lucas had experience on and off was on a whole another level. "You can't trap or trick someone into loving you Luke. That never works. And you and Peyton are a family. A real one. You don't need a baby for that."

 _"I know Haley. It was stupid...I guess it just seemed like an easy fix for us to be together again."_

"Exactly. And how do you think that makes Peyton feel? How would you feel? Pretty cheap huh?"

 _"I know...again I fucked up. So yea maybe I did want that baby, but that doesn't mean that's the only way I could ever be with her again. I didn't mean for things to escalate like that. I was just so...angry."_

"Yea..." Haley trailed off thinking of her own husband and how much she missed him. "It's funny how the people we love the most in this world also happen to be the very same people who have all the power to hurt us the most."

She needed to find Nathan.

 _"What should I do?"_

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that." Haley replied.

 _"Haley do you think...have I lost her for good?"_

"I don't know Luke. Just come home okay?"

* * *

As more guests arrived Haley slipped away from the party leaving Lydia under Millie's care for a moment. She needed a break. Brooke had finally reappeared, her makeup once again flawless and with a tight smile plastered over her lips as she and Julian made their rounds greeting everyone. She was putting on quite the performance leaving everyone clueless on to what was really going on.

Haley took a moment to call Peyton for what seemed like the millionth time, but she hadn't had any luck reaching her. She had briefly considered filling Brooke in on what had been really going on with Peyton. That their friend had most likely been scared shitless thinking she was pregnant and had been holding it in this whole time. Peyton hadn't reached out to them for help and support. She just kept it all inside. Haley could only imagine how lonely that must have felt. Perhaps the fight between Brooke and Peyton wouldn't have escalated as much as it did had Brooke been aware of everything. It didn't necessarily excuse all of Peyton's actions towards Brooke these past couple of months, but being out of the loop certainly hadn't helped. In the end however Haley decided against it. This wasn't the time or place for that and more importantly it wasn't her place to start spilling Lucas and Peyton's personal business. For the time being Brooke would have to remain out of the loop until Peyton was ready to open up to her again.

Haley sighed heavily taking a look around the empty hall she had escaped to. She hadn't seen Nathan in there yet. Hopefully he was still coming today. Right now Nathan was the only person she really wanted to see. His presence alone would be enough to make her feel better.

As she turned the corner she spotted him. There he was standing by the entrance scrolling through his phone. Seconds later his eyes shot up in her direction almost as if he had felt her eyes watching him. Nathan sent a warm smile her way and that's all it took for Haley to rush in his direction. Soon she found herself jumping into Nathan's embrace, her arms locking around his neck, her lips forcefully pushing against his.

Nathan responded immediately deepening the kiss between them. Eventually the kiss slowed down and ended. Nathan grinned down at Haley. "Not that I'm complaining here, but what was that for?" He questioned.

Haley shrugged. "I'm just really happy to see you that's all."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?" Nathan questioned hopeful.

Haley quickly shot that theory down. "Oh no I'm still mad at you." She corrected, but she delivered it in a slightly playful tone. She teased him.

They both chuckled.

"But I guess I'm starting to realize how very little it matters compared to everything else going on." She then confessed.

"You okay?" Nathan questioned as he took her hand and led them both towards an empty bench to sit.

"Not really." Haley admitted. "These last six months have been just really...scary and difficult at times. I don't think it's been easy for any of us. I feel like our entire group is so disconnected. The six of us have been pretty much inseparable for years now and everything just feels so fractured now. It's never been like this Nathan, at least not since high school and most of us didn't even know each other back then. Lucas is gone. Peyton won't talk to anyone about anything. Brooke's a mess. Julian doesn't know what the fuck is going on. And you and me...this is the worst our marriage has ever been. And I hate this. I hate all of this. And it scares the hell out of me. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose anybody. I feel so stuck."

"You're not gonna lose me Hales." Nathan quickly correct. "I'm not going anywhere." He intertwined their fingers and squeezed her hand tightly.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Haley silently nodded looking down at their linked hands. She watched the way Nathan's thumb brushed back and forth along her skin.

"Haley."

She lifted her face back up in his direction. "Yea?"

"I wanna come back home." He stated sternly. They had been apart long enough.

Haley slowly nodded. "Okay."

Nathan paused, his eyes slightly narrowing suspiciously at how easy that had been. A little too easy. Haley didn't even put up a fight. "Okay?" He spoke seeking confirmation and hopefully not pushing his luck. He assumed there would be more groveling involved.

She nodded again. "Yes. I want you to come back home too. The kids miss you and I do too. We need you. I need you." She then squeezed his hand a little tighter. "I'm sorry. I should have never asked you to leave in the first place –"

Nathan wiped away a stray tear that had fallen across Haley's cheek. "No, no. I'm sorry." He rushed out. "I messed up too. I shouldn't have –"

Haley didn't allow him to finish his thoughts. "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied while cracking a smile before gently pressing their lips together.

"Today has been awful." She confessed then realizing Nathan had no idea what hell she had been through today. "Right before the shower Brooke and Peyton got into it. I mean it had been a long time coming, but it was bad Nathan. It was terrible."

Nathan sighed and nodded. "I heard."

Haley frowned. How could he possibly know anything? The man just got here. "What?"

"Skills texted me about it on my way over here."

Her frown deepened. "Skills? How in the world does he know anything? He wasn't even there."

Nathan shrugged. "I guess someone told him."

Haley paused in thought and then scoffed. "Oh Mia." She mumbled disapprovingly. The singer must have blabbed to Chase, who probably ended up gossiping to the rest of the guys. She knew Millie wasn't one to gossip especially since she was staying clear from Mouth ever since they broke up.

"News travels fast huh?" Nathan teased.

"Guess so...I don't know how they're gonna get past this Nathan. It was really bad. I've never seen their friendship this fragile. They've never fought like this."

"Maybe you can talk to Brooke?" He suggested. "Peyton's been...She's just been going through some personal stuff lately. Maybe you could convince Brooke to go a little easy on her? Peyton's just really having a rough time right now."

He would know of course. Nathan was positive that Lucas had already confronted Peyton and it was all his fault.

This immediately peeked Haley's interest. "What personal stuff?" She questioned. Did Nathan already know? She knew that he had been there for Peyton lately, but wasn't sure to what extent.

"Oh you know...stuff." Nathan mumbled dismissively.

Haley rolled her eyes. He wasn't fooling anyone. "God you really are a terrible liar." She blurted out.

"Hey I take offense to that." He huffed.

"Doesn't make it any less true baby." Haley quipped. "But anyway whatever you do know I doubt it's the whole story."

Nathan paused as his own suspicions formed. "Wait. What do you know?"

"What do you know?" Haley challenged.

"Nothing." They both quickly replied still cautiously eyeing one another.

It was clear neither one of them were going to budge. Nathan had no desire to betray Peyton's confidence twice in one day even though this was his wife and Haley was displaying the same loyalties towards her own best friend. Despite knowing what had gone on between Lucas and Peyton, Haley had no idea that it was Nathan who had initially spilled the beans. Lucas purposefully hadn't disclosed that little tidbit.

So together they just sat there refusing to give in.

Eventually Nathan broke the silence.

"You look beautiful by the way." He told her.

"Thanks." Haley released a chuckle looking down at the red dress she wore. "I really missed you." She looked back over at him.

"Me too baby." Nathan offered another warm smile, but she still looked pretty sad. "Hey what's wrong?" He questioned, his free hand caressing the side of Haley's face.

"I just really love you that's all. You know that right?"

Nathan moved in closer. "Of course I do Hales."

"It's just with everything going on between Brooke and Peyton, and with Lucas and Peyton, I just...I don't ever want us to hurt each other like that. I know we'll fight and be mad at each other at times – that's part of life – but let's not really hurt each other like that okay? Promise me we won't shut each other out. That we'll always share our lives with each other okay? That we'll always be there for each other. That we'll support and protect each other and our family."

"Always."

"Always and forever?"

Nathan laughed. "Always and forever." He confirmed sealing his promise with a kiss.

Haley grabbed him by the collar of his button-up, pulling him closer as her tongue pushed past his lips. Nathan's hands had been all over her. One of them finally settled behind her neck, burying itself under her hair, while the other rested on her thigh quickly inching it's way underneath her dress. His fingertips brushed against the bottom of her ass, toying with her pantyline, pushing further past that line.

"Nathan." Haley panted out of breath. "Stop." She added pulling her head back to create a bit of distance.

"Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away." He apologized and exhaled loudly, removing his hand from underneath Haley's dress. He'd temporarily forgotten that they were just out in the open like this, anyone could have just seen them right now including his own children who had a tendency to wander. "I'll stop now." Though he hoped they would be able to continue this later tonight at home.

Haley quickly shook her head. "No that wasn't what I was going to say. That's not why I stopped you." She didn't want him to stop. They hadn't been together in so long.

"Huh?"

"I was just going to suggest that there's a storage closet downstairs and I just happen to have the key..."

His eyes widened. "Haley James are you suggesting what I think you are?"

Haley felt her face heating up.

"In the middle of a baby shower?" Nathan teased curious to see how red in the face Haley could get. "Is this some kind of new kink that I'm not aware of?"

"Shut up." Haley grumbled slapping his chest before rising from her seat. "Are you coming or what?" She called out from over her shoulder before walking away.

When Nathan realized that his wife was actually serious about her proposal he bolted out of his seat seconds later, trailing behind her as they both giggled and skipped their way towards that supply closet.

* * *

The next day Mia Catalano found herself standing outside of Peyton's apartment. The blonde had been MIA at the studio today and after witnessing the end tail of her fight with Brooke, Mia wanted to make sure that Peyton was okay. She was worried about her friend and longtime mentor.

Mia banged loudly against the door with her fist. The loud sounds of rock music coming from inside the apartment hit her ears. She knocked even louder. "Peyton!" She yelled out. "It's Mia!"

Still there was nothing. The music continued to play and no other movement inside of the apartment could be heard.

Testing her luck she reached for the doorknob. It turned easily. Peyton must have forgotten to lock it. Mia wasted no time in pushing the door open to let herself in. As soon as she opened the door the powerful smell of fresh paint hit her face, forcing her to drop her head as she violently coughed from the paint fumes.

When Mia finally managed to get herself together she looked back up, her jaw dropping immediately. "Oh. My. God." The entire living room was black. The walls were covered in black paint. And there was Peyton dressed in a white tank and navy shorts hunched over getting ready to paint the last bit of wall space that hadn't yet met her wrath. She had specs of black paint all over her body.

"Peyton!" Mia screeched out.

"Peyton!" She yelled out again even louder over the music.

This time Peyton paused, her head slowly turned back. "Mia?" The blonde said confused to see the singer standing there. She stood up straight, her arm reaching over towards the speakers near her and lowered the music. "Um Mia, hi?" Peyton greeted her not really sure why she was here. She thought she had made it crystal clear yesterday that she wanted to be left alone. The blonde had skipped out on work today, canceled her appointment with her therapist this afternoon, and had been actively avoiding all incoming calls for the last twenty-four hours.

"What are you doing?!"

Peyton frowned. "I'm painting my walls. What does it look like I'm doing?" She replied while holding the paint brush in her hands.

"Yea, but it's black. You're living room is completely black!"

"I'm aware." Peyton spoke curtly.

"What the fuck Peyton?!" Mia exclaimed as she ran off to explore the rest of the apartment. It wasn't just the living room.

Peyton rolled here eyes and waited impatiently for Mia to reappear.

"You're entire apartment is black!" Mia cried out incredulously. "Dude you're freaking bathroom is black!"

"I know. I painted it."

"Why?"

Peyton shrugged. This wasn't something entirely new to her. As a teen she had painted her room various colors over the years, the longest color that had survived her bedroom was the color red during high school. Though painting her walls black was a new one even for her, but it what could she say? It just currently fit the mood she was in. She had started with her bedroom and somehow ended up expanding to the rest of the apartment. It wasn't exactly planned, but she didn't care. She really didn't care about anything right now.

"Because I felt like it Mia. I need a change."

Mia let out a loud whistle before plopping herself on the couch. "Well I wouldn't count on getting your security deposit back." She cringed.

"It's not like I plan on moving out any time soon anyway."

"Wow you really are a lot worse off than I thought." Mia blurted out.

Peyton frowned.

"Also mind opening a window? It smells awful in here. How have you not passed out yet?"

"Mia why are you here?" Peyton snapped. Her patience was waning.

The brunette shrugged. "I was worried about you. You just took off so fast yesterday –"

"Can we not do this." Peyton cut in before spinning around to open the windows in her living room. Mia had left the door wide open so there was a nice cross-breeze coming through the apartment now.

"Peyton we're friends right?"

Peyton silently nodded.

"Well that's exactly why I'm here. Listen I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I know or understand what's going on between you and Brooke right now. That's between you and her and it's not my business."

Peyton's hand tightly gripped around the paint brush she held. She didn't want to have this conversation. She didn't want to relive anything about yesterday. "What's your point Mia?"

"It's just...I just wanted to let you know that you're not selfish Peyton. You're probably the least selfish person I know. I'm sure Brooke has her valid reasons, as do you, and I'm not here to take any sides...but you're not selfish okay?"

Peyton sighed. She placed her brush over the can of black paint and joined Mia on the couch. "I wouldn't be too sure about that Mia."

"Of course I'm sure. I'm here living my dreams because of you. Because of your support and the scarifies you made to get me where I am today. You didn't care about whether or not the albums made any money or worried about if people didn't like my sound, or my look, or any of it. You didn't try to change me. You made sure that I got a say in my music and you've looked out for me since day one and not once did you think about yourself or what a big financial risk it was to back me up. You Peyton Sawyer are selfless and there's nothing anyone could ever say to change my mind. I love Brooke, but she's wrong."

"The person you're talking about Mia, that's not me anymore. She's long gone. I don't have it together anymore. I keep making all these mistakes and I make them knowingly. Brooke was right. She was right about all of it."

Mia shook her head. "Peyton don't be an idiot. You're still you. Deep down you're still this kind and determined woman that I admire. Sure you can be a pain in the ass sometimes in the studio, but I know you do it because you care about me. You push me hard so that I can be at my very best. There's no one I admire more."

"Mia." Peyton choked out a tearful chuckle as she wiped her eyes. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I'm just such a mess."

"No just human. Everyone makes mistakes, you're not any different than anyone else, well minus the memory loss I guess." She teased. "I know you're not perfect, but flaws and all I still respect the hell out of you. You can't let this break you. Just get back up, dust yourself off and fight harder for what you want. That's what you've always told me since the first day I met you, so I guess it's probably time for you to take your own advice. Just saying." Mia finished with a grin.

Peyton slowly nodded. "Thank you Mia." She was far from feeling whole again, but Mia's words of encouragement had made her feel a little better.

"You're welcome." Mia stood up. "Now get dressed."

Peyton frowned. "Wait, what?"

"We're going out." Mia cheerfully replied.

"Oh god no...I'm just not..."

"No we're going out." Mia insisted. "We are going to have some fun. I love you Peyton but you've become just about as dead as a doornail these days. You never have any fun anymore. So tonight I am going to save you from this literal black hole that you currently live in and we are going to have some fun."

"Mia..." Peyton protested.

"No buts. Go get dressed." Mia took another hard look around the room and frowned. "Nothing black though." Mia grabbed Peyton's arms and pulled her up from the couch. "Chop chop missy." She ordered as she pushed the blonde towards her room.

"And where exactly are we going?" Peyton wondered still not keen on the idea.

"Where else? Karaoke!"

Peyton made a face. That didn't sound at all like fun.

* * *

 _"I don't ever want to drink again_  
 _I just, oh, I just need a friend_  
 _I'm not gonna spend ten weeks_  
 _Have everyone think I'm on the mend_

 _And it's not just my pride_  
 _It's just till these tears have dried"_

From her table Peyton took a sip of her drink and bopped her head along to the music, watching Mia on stage as she wrapped up her song. She was a natural really. Born to be on that stage. She had the entire crowd cheering and singing along to every word with her.

 _"They tried to make me go to rehab_  
 _I said, no, no, no_  
 _Yes, I been black_  
 _But when I come back, you'll know, know, know_  
 _I ain't got the time_  
 _And if my daddy thinks I'm fine_  
 _He's tried to make me go to rehab_  
 _I won't go, go, go"_

Peyton clapped her hands together along with the crowd when the song was over. Mia passed the mic over to the next person up, skipping off stage and bouncing her way over to their table near the stage.

"You were great!"

"Thanks! I mean I can't sing anywhere near Amy Winehouse, but I do love that song."

Peyton noticed the two shot glasses filled with liquor that Mia set down on the table. Somewhere along the way between the stage and their table Mia had managed to get shots?

Well that was impressive.

"Bottoms up!" Mia announced as she slid one of the shot glasses towards Peyton.

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Mia had been handing her drinks all night.

"Is that a problem?" Mia joked.

Peyton chuckled and shook her head. Lucky for her she wasn't exactly a light weight anyway.

"Drink."

"Fine." Peyton picked up her shot glass and quickly downed it. She made a face, sticking out her tongue as the alcohol burned down her throat. It had been tequila and not the good kind. She noticed Mia hadn't touched hers.

The ladies turned their attention back to the stage where someone was doing a horrible rendition of Prince's Purple Rain.

"Amateurs." Mia snorted. "Don't they know that the first rule of karaoke is to know the songs that are completely off limits!"

Peyton nodded in agreement. The high notes towards the end of Purple Rain were pretty much impossible to replicate making it a difficult karaoke song to master. The person on stage sounded more like a screeching banshee. It made her cringe. The guy on stage was straight up butchering the song.

"Dear lord make it stop." Mia sunk in her seat and took a swig of her drink. "Why would you do Purple Rain? No one can hit those notes perfectly. Not to mention the long guitar solo which just leaves you standing there like an idiot. Same goes for any Whitey Houston power ballads and old school Mariah Carey. It's just a big no no."

Peyton laughed.

"You don't agree?"

"Oh no I'm right there with you. It's just sounds like you have quite the ban list on karaoke songs."

"Oh totally." Mia quickly replied. "Let me lay it down for you Peyton." She added quite seriously. "Here are other songs you might want to avoid up there. Forgot about Dre by Eminem? Nope try again. I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness? Ha!" Mia snorted. "Good luck with that one, pretty much impossible. We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel. It's a guaranteed train wreck. Same thing goes for REM's It's The End Of The World As We Know It. And why oh why do people always think they can do Journey? You can't. It always sounds awful."

Peyton was still laughing.

"Should I go on?"

Peyton shook her head. "I think I got it." She teased before reaching for her drink.

"By the way you're up next." Mia added nonchalantly.

Peyton choked on her drink.

Mia laughed.

"Um excuse me?"

"You heard me." Mia replied sweetly.

"Um no the agreement was I'd come to karaoke but only as a innocent bystander." The blonde reminded her.

Mia shrugged her shoulders and pouted. "Yea I decided to ignore that. That's just boring and the whole point of this outing is for your skinny ass to have some fun."

"Mia. I can't sing. Trust me. I'm a terrible singer."

"Karaoke isn't about being a good singer!"

Peyton frowned. "So says the successful recording artist." She mocked.

"You're singing. I already put in your name and song so too late to back out now. Don't be lame Peyton."

"I can't." Peyton replied warily.

"You can." Mia assured her confidently. "And you will."

"Mia..."

"And I picked the PERFECT song for you!" She exclaimed.

"Oh did you now?" Peyton said with an eyeroll.

"Yep." Mia playfully nodded. "Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones." She revealed before her mouth broke into a wide smile.

"Cute." Peyton muttered sarcastically.

"And then right after that you'll be singing Black by Pearl Jam." Mia added through a chuckle.

"You bitch." Peyton stated.

Mia grinned again. "I knew you'd appreciate the theme."

"Think again."

"Yes but I know for a fact that you love both those songs."

"Well...yeah...but that's not the point." Peyton defended. She was here to watch not sing, otherwise she would have never let Mia convince her to go out this evening. When it came to music Peyton was more of a behind the scenes kind of girl.

Both women turned their attention back to the stage when Peyton's name was called up.

"Looks like you're up!"

"No."

"Yes." Mia said, eagerly nodding.

"I can't."

"Just go." Mia commented kicking Peyton's chair so hard that it forced the blonde to shoot up from her seat. Soon everyone's eyes were on her.

"I hate you." Peyton hissed.

"Oh wait, wait!" Mia quickly passed Peyton the second shot of tequila that sat on the table. "Better take this."

Peyton glanced around the room. Everyone was still waiting for her to head up on stage.

Damn Mia.

Slowly she made her way towards the stage, not without of course snatching that shot of liquid courage from Mia's hand first.

Why did she decided to leave her black walls again?

* * *

A few hours later they were stumbling out of the bar. Peyton fanned herself, her face feeling hot and sticky with sweat. After a few more karaoke songs the pair has slipped next door at another bar for some dancing.

Mia slipped the hair tie hanging on her wrist over her hand before piling her long mane into a messy bun on top of her head and securing it. "Wow I can't remember the last time I burned the dance floor like that." She commented with a laugh.

Peyton smiled. "That was pretty fun." She admitted. "Thanks for forcing me to come out tonight Mia." Some time around the second karaoke song that Mia had forced her to sing Peyton found herself having fun. "Didn't realize how much I need that." For a brief moment tonight it felt like she didn't have a care in the world.

"I'm glad." Mia replied.

They began walking down the street.

"I knew you would have fun."

"You did not."

"Of course I did. This was your idea after all."

Peyton laughed. "My idea?!" She said incredulously.

"Yes." Mia nodded quickly. "We sort of have this tradition that we've done over the years. Anytime I'm feeling stressed or frustrated and can't write a damn song you always take me out for a night of fun. Sort of a way to clear my mind and de-stress for a bit. And it always works. I always feel better and go back to the studio and rock it. I just figured this time around it'd work for you too."

Peyton slowly nodded. "I wish I could remember our friendship Mia. I really do." She spoke with a sad smile.

"I know Peyton." Mia told her. "Don't worry about me okay? I'm fine and we're already making new memories. It's gonna be okay. I know it will be because you're freaking Peyton Sawyer and she always handles her shit in the end. You'll see. You'll figure it all out."

At this point they had walked a few blocks down Main street when Peyton suddenly stopped. "Sometimes it sure doesn't feel that way." She had stopped in front of a bookstore that was still open late. It all seemed hopeless. Everything thing Brooke. Everything with Lucas.

Mia stepped beside Peyton following her gaze. With a sympathetic smile she placed her hand over the blonde's left shoulder and squeezed. Lucas' latest book was on display in the front window of the bookstore. "I finally got a chance to read it. It's really good."

"I wouldn't know." Peyton admitted. She hadn't read Lucas' book yet. She wasn't able to muster up the courage to.

"Should we grab a cab?" Mia suggested as Peyton continued to stare at the display window silently.

Peyton turned to Mia. "What are you doing now?"

"Um well go home I guess. It is getting late."

"Any chance you'd be up for some studio time?"

"Really?"

"Yea, I mean I have all this energy right now and I feel...I feel pretty good." Peyton told her. "I mean that's what the whole point of this night was right? Clear my head, have some fun, and refocus right?"

Mia grinned. "Right."

"Good, so you're in? Because I kind of have all these idea swirling in my head right now that I think would really work for the album."

"Um hell yes!" Mia yelled out excitedly. This was the Peyton she loved being around and knew was still in there.

Peyton smiled. "Perfect." Tonight she'd do the thing she loved the most in this world. Music. And tomorrow she'd get back to tackling the mess that was her life. Assuming it was still salvageable.

But first there was something else she had to do.

"I have to do something first though."

"What?" Mia wondered.

"Something kind of really embarrassing that I've been doing these last few weeks."

"What is it?" Mia questioned again with a puzzled look on her face.

"You'll see." Peyton simply stated as she opened the door to the bookstore and disappeared inside as Mia followed right behind her.

* * *

Next one will be the last chapter guys (there will be an epilogue to follow as well)! Can you believe it?!

Please review and share your thoughts.

Chapter Track: Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones


	50. Say You Won't Let Go

**Well folks here we are.**

 **The last chapter in this little story of mine that I started two years ago. Can't believe we're finally here. I've loved writing this story so much and I'm really going to miss it. Whether you've been with me from the very beginning or joined this story somewhere along the way I am FOREVER grateful.**

 **So thank you. Thank you for coming on this journey with me.**

 **Also just a reminder about Lucas' novels since it'll be relevant to this chapter. Unlike the show, in this world Lucas' first book doesn't mention Peyton at all since they didn't interact in high school. His second book however is about her and includes all that good stuff.**

 **And now on with the show...**

* * *

 **Chapter 50: Say You Won't Let Go**

"Hey you." Haley spoke hesitantly. She didn't know what to expect on the other side of that door when Peyton greeted her and she braced herself for the worst.

"Hey." Peyton returned the greeting with a weak smile.

"I hope it's okay that I stopped by. I was worried and we haven't really talked since the shower." Haley said cautiously.

"Yes of course it is." Peyton quickly told her. "C'mon in."

The blonde moved aside inviting Haley in. "Thanks." She stepped inside the apartment, her eyes bouncing immediately towards the walls of the living room. "What the hell happened here?" Haley questioned incredulously. It was hard to ignore the black painted walls that hadn't been there before, while the other half of the room had clearly just received a fresh coat of white paint.

Peyton released a nervous chuckle. "Don't ask. Long story." She replied as she closed and locked the door.

She had been at the studio with Mia all night until the early hours of the morning finally making it back to her apartment around six. After sleeping off her exhaustion for a few hours Peyton woke up feeling a little lighter, a little more determined to repair the cracks in her life.

The first thing Peyton had done today was travel to the hardware store and collect enough cans of paint to bring life back into the walls of her very dark apartment. She hadn't gotten very far in her repainting when Haley had showed up.

"Are you okay?" Haley questioned before pausing to frown. "That was a stupid question. Sorry."

"It's okay Haley. I'll deal with it. I'm dealing with it."

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." Haley said looking a little ashamed. "It's just that Nathan's back home now and –"

"That's really great Haley! It really is." Peyton spoke with a soft smile. "I knew you two would be okay."

Haley nodded. "We're still working things out, but it's good to have him back home. And listen about the baby shower I just feel awful..."

"Don't." The blonde shook her head. "I was the one who let things get this far."

"You've been through a lot."

Peyton sighed loudly.

"How is she?" The blonde then questioned. "I was planning on going over later to see her. I want to fix it. I need to fix this. I can't lose my best friend over this."

Haley opened her mouth to respond, but then she hesitated, sucking in her teeth before releasing a deep sigh.

Peyton's face fell. Her friend's reaction was not a good sign, but then again was it really all that surprising?

"I'd...wait. I think you gotta give her a little more time." Haley answered, uttering her words as gently as possible. Truth was that Brooke wasn't exactly in the most forgiving of moods. Haley had checked in with the brunette over the phone that morning and let's just say that Brooke's choice of words regarding the blonde wasn't exactly rated G or even PG for that matter.

Peyton's eyes fell to the ground. "She hates me." She quietly concluded.

"No, no." Haley quickly shook her head. "She doesn't hate you."

"She hates me." Peyton repeated. "Not that I blame her."

"Brooke loves you Peyton. Just give her a little time to cool off that's all. I know you two will be able to work this out. I really believe that."

"What if I can't fix this Haley? What if Brooke never forgives me?"

"She will."

"I just really want to go see her right now." She looked broken.

"And you totally should...just not right now." Haley advised. "There's just too much tension right now."

Peyton blew out a breath. "I'm such a fucking fuck up." She mumbled. Who the hell was she kidding? She was never going to be able to fix her life. She was all alone. Brooke was done with her and Lucas didn't want her anymore either.

"Stop that."

"It's true." The blonde weakly chuckled.

"No it's not. You'll fix things with Brooke and you can fix things with Lucas too." Haley assured her.

Peyton scoffed. Lucas was a whole other story.

"You know, he's called me a couple of times hoping to get in touch with you."

The pitiful face that graced Haley's features revealed to Peyton that her friend knew everything.

"Why won't you talk to him?"

"Something tells me you already know why Haley."

Haley's shoulders sagged. She chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. I wish you would have confided in me or Brooke. I've been there. I know how scary that can be."

"I wasn't alone."

Haley quickly nodded. Thankfully Nathan had been there for her. "And listen about Nathan..." Her husband had eventually revealed the role his loose lips had played.

Peyton shook her head. "I'm not mad at him Haley."

"You're not?" Haley questioned quite skeptically.

"Well not anymore I guess." Peyton shrugged. "At the end of the day I do trust Nathan and for whatever reason he had to do what he did, I know it was just him looking out for me in his own way. And sure maybe I should have just told Lucas from the very beginning, Nathan did warn me, but I guess I was scared that then he'd only be coming back home for all the wrong reasons. I wanted him to come back home because he wanted to be with me."

"Peyton."

"But I was right. He doesn't want to be with me and honestly maybe he never really did because I'm never gonna be that girl I was before. And that's just something Lucas has never really been able to accept no matter what he says. This whole time he's just been waiting for someone who's never coming back."

"You act like this was a one-sided affair Peyton."

"It's not. I played my role too. I know that." The blonde acknowledged. "I hurt him and now he hates me all because I couldn't let go of the stupid past, just like he hasn't been able to either. I was stubborn and I ruined what we had even if it wasn't totally perfect between us."

"Lucas doesn't hate you." Haley defended. "There's no way you can honestly believe that deep down."

"I don't know what to believe anymore Haley." Peyton went around her friend grabbing a paint can and a paint roller deciding to take a break from the living room and get started on her bedroom.

Haley saw right through the cowardly act and quickly chased after the blonde. She was done having Peyton avoid the issue. "You're avoiding."

"No I'm moving on." Peyton defended. "I have to move on Haley. I don't have any other choice."

"What in the world are you talking about? I thought you wanted Lucas back?!" Haley challenged.

"I do or at least I thought I did."

"What does that even mean?"

Peyton turned back swiftly to face Haley. "It means I want Lucas back but not like this." She replied, her voice exacerbated. "He wanted me to be pregnant Haley. That's the only thing that made him consider coming back home to me. A baby. Not me."

"He spoke poorly Peyton and he knows that."

"I'm not enough for him Haley and that tells me everything I need to know. I was never enough."

"He's coming back home Peyton." She reminded the blonde.

"Yea, while still hating me in the process. He's never gonna get past the Jake thing and we both know it. I don't think he's ever gonna be able to forgive me."

"I think he's closer to doing that than you think." Haley defended though she still knew it was up to Lucas to convince Peyton that she was enough for him.

"Then why does he keep punishing me for it?"

Haley released a frustrated sigh. "Because people do stupid, selfish things when they're hurting and you know that better than anyone Peyton." She replied while shooting the blonde a very serious look. Peyton was far from innocent in that area.

Peyton's mouth closed tightly. She said nothing setting the paint supplies in her hands down on the floor of her bedroom.

"So you hate me too." The blonde quietly mumbled.

Haley quickly shook her head. "I don't hate you Peyton."

Peyton raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? Not even a little bit? Even after I went to see Jake behind Lucas' back?" She wasn't buying it. It was something the two women had never openly discussed. Haley had never confronted Peyton on how she really felt about the situation.

Haley paused, carefully choosing her words. "Listen I'm not gonna stand here and pretend that I'm cool with what you did because I'm not. It was a really shitty thing to do and my best friend didn't deserve that. But you're still my friend Peyton and I know how much you care about Lucas. You made a mistake and you've acknowledged it and you've been trying to make things right with Lucas ever since. So no Peyton I don't hate you. I know these last six months haven't been easy for you. It hasn't been easy for any of us, but don't give up on what you could still have with Lucas."

Peyton's head hung low. "I'm just so confused Haley. He says he loves me but..."

"He loves you. He's never loved anyone but you."

"But..."

"No buts Peyton! Lucas isn't the one who needs to decide how he truly feels about you. You're the one who needs to decide how you feel about him." Haley wisely pointed out. "At this point it's really the only thing left holding both of you back."

Peyton sighed.

"Listen to me Peyton." Haley moved to step closer to the blonde. As she stepped forward the tip of her right shoe hit a pile of books her brown eyes had missed. "Whoa." She regained her balance and looked down inspecting the pile of books she had knocked over. She recognized every single book on that floor.

Haley looked back up at Peyton. "What's with all the books?" She questioned looking back down at the multiple copies of each of Lucas' three books.

"Nothing." Peyton grumbled sheepishly while shrugging her shoulders.

Haley's eyes narrowed down in suspicion. She looked around the room and quickly spotted another pile of books near the bed. She didn't have to go look at the pile to confirm her suspicions. She was confident it was another pile of Lucas' published works.

Her gaze returned on Peyton, still waiting for an explanation.

Peyton sighed. She looked embarrassed. Like she had been caught red handed as her own cheeks reddened. "I bought them okay?" She confessed, spitting out the words rather quickly.

"All of them?" Haley said with a small smirk. She knew exactly what was going on here and unbeknownst to Peyton this was probably the most important revelation of them all. But instead Haley decided to play dumb. "You just happen to buy copies of the same books? Books that you already own back at your house? And not just any books, Lucas' books?"

Another sigh escaped from Peyton's mouth. "I dunno...I just...every time I walk by a bookstore I just have to buy them okay? There's this little voice compelling me to do so every single time. I don't know what it is, but I just can't shake it off, so I buy all three of Lucas' books every single damn time. It's stupid I know."

The small grin on Haley's face widened.

"What?" Peyton said with a frown waiting for Haley to poke fun at her.

Haley cleared her throat. "Nothing." She quickly replied. It was up to Peyton to really work through her feelings towards Lucas. She had to do that alone and so Haley knew she had to keep what she knew to herself for now. If she explained the true story behind Peyton's actions Haley feared it might manipulate Peyton's thinking.

And that wouldn't be fair to anyone.

Peyton continued to frown.

"You know that you're ridiculous right?" Haley added. "You have all these books and the proof is there in the words that Lucas wrote Peyton. He loves you so much. How could you ever doubt that? I just don't get it."

The look on Peyton's face morphed into guilt. "I wouldn't know." She quietly mumbled. "I actually haven't read them all."

Haley's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" She asked in disbelief.

Peyton's shoulders sagged. "I read Lucas' first book and I loved it. It was beautiful. It really helped me understand him more. I was gonna read the second one, but then we had that fight in LA, we made up, we moved back to Tree Hill and everything was going so perfect and I just never got around to it." She confessed.

"You do know that The Comet is about you right? It's all about you Peyton. Why haven't you read?"

"I dunno. Scared I guess. Scared of having to live up to the girl he wrote about in that book."

"Oh Peyton." Haley spoke sadly. "If you only really knew."

Peyton swallowed hard.

"Go get dressed." Haley ordered much like Mia had done the day before. "There's something I have to show you. Something you have to see."

* * *

"Okay...?" Peyton announced after Haley had led her on to the roof of the Clothes Over Bros building. This is what Haley had to show her? A view of main street?

"So before Brooke bought the building for her store this used to be where Lucas' mom's café was." Haley explained.

Peyton slowly nodded. She already knew that. She remembered that from her teen years.

"So when me and Lucas were growing up we used to spend a lot of time up here. At one point we actually built this mini golf course with Keith's help. We had all these funky lights stringed up and a bunch of random furniture. It was awesome."

"Okay?" Peyton repeated still confused. None of that explained why they were here.

"The reason we're here is because I'm about to show you something that totally breaks best friend code, but since you're kind of in code red right now I'm willing to break my pact with Lucas this one time."

"Pact?" Peyton questioned, her interest peaked.

Haley nodded. "Nathan doesn't even know about this." She revealed. "C'mon." She motioned for Peyton to follow her. They walked over to one of the walls and Peyton watched Haley remove a loose brick from the wall, setting it aside before going to pull out a small tin box.

"What's that?"

Haley looked down at the tin box in her hands and smiled fondly remembering the past. "When we were kids Lucas and I would come up here at the beginning of every school year and make predictions on what we wanted to happen over the next year. We'd jot them down, place them in this box and keep it inside this wall."

Peyton slowly nodded and Haley continued on.

"And then at the end of the school year we'd come back up here and read them out loud to each other to check and see if we actually tried to make whatever we wanted happen. A lot of them were just goofy things like finding bigfoot before Lucas did." Haley laughed. "But some of them were actually pretty truthful and I want to show them to you."

Haley opened the tin box and held it out to Peyton. "The scraps of paper on the right are Lucas' predictions."

Peyton hesitantly reached out and collected them out of the tin box. She opened the first one, immediately recognizing Lucas' handwriting, much like with the love notes she had found. "Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott."

A small smile formed across Peyton's lips. She looked over at Haley.

"He wrote that in the eighth grade." Haley revealed.

Peyton chuckled. "He did not!"

"Did so."

Peyton shook her head and went to open another one. "Get Peyton to say hi to me."

"That was ninth grade."

"Make out with Peyton Sawyer." The blonde laughed as she read the words out.

Haley snorted. "Yea he got a little cocky with that one. That was tenth grade."

Peyton opened the next one. "This year I'll talk to Peyton Sawyer."

"Eleventh grade."

"Get a scholarship to UNC. Convince Anna to come with me. Tell her I love her." Peyton frowned. "What the hell?" She added with a jealous tone behind her voice.

"Whoops." Haley awkwardly mumbled snatching the prediction from Peyton's hand. "Forgot about that one."

Peyton was still frowning.

"Oh c'mon! They were dating at the time and you had Jake anyway, and besides she's totally gay now."

They both laughed after a short pause.

"Just keep going okay?" Haley encouraged.

Peyton nodded and did just that.

"Be a good uncle to Jamie and get along better with my brother. Start new in college. Write a novel. Meet girls."

"Freshman year."

"Try to visit mom and Lily more often. Hookup less, date more seriously. Keep working on my novel."

"Sophomore year." Haley chuckled. "He went through this man-whore phase that first year of college. It was gross."

Peyton chuckled and moved on. "Keep working on the novel. Save enough money for spring break this year."

"That's junior year."

"Keep working on the novel. Live my last year of college to the fullest – no regrets. Nathan will get drafted into the NBA. Meet the girl of my dreams."

"Senior year."

There were only two pieces of paper left.

Peyton opened the next one. "Find the nerve to send my novel to publishers. Found the girl – now get her to fall in love with me."

Peyton paused. She was the girl.

"That's you he's talking about Peyton." Haley confirmed. "He wrote that the summer you first got together."

The blonde could feel the water pool around her eyes. She took in a deep breath before going to open the last prediction. "Marry Peyton Sawyer one day and never let her go."

Peyton exhaled deeply and wiped away the tears under her eyes.

"That's the last one. We stopped after that year. Kind of realized we didn't need the predictions anymore. We each were living the lives we wanted."

"He let me go though." Peyton said sadly. He had let her go when he left town.

"Far from it. Can't you see Peyton? It's you. It's always been you. Lucas has loved you for a very long time. He loved you before he ever really knew you. He found his soulmate at age 13 and his heart has been faithful to you ever since. He might have been in other relationships along the way, but no one else came close when it came to you. And eventually you found him too."

"This doesn't prove anything Haley." Peyton stubbornly replied. "These words happened a lifetime ago. This isn't our reality anymore. It proves nothing."

"Well duh that's because you're missing a ton of context. Read the book Peyton." Haley dug inside her purse and pulled out a copy of The Comet that she had swiped from Peyton's book pile. She shoved the book into Peyton's hands. "Read the book Peyton. You wouldn't be doubting Lucas' love for you had you read it already. He loves you so much."

"Haley." Peyton began to protest.

"Read the damn book Peyton." Haley repeated a bit more forcibly. "Don't be a fool. Do you really wanna lose him forever?"

Peyton closed her mouth shut.

No. She didn't. Of course not.

"I'll leave you to it then." Haley quickly repackaged the tin box, closed it, returned it to it's rightful place, and sealed the loose brick over it once more. She left Peyton standing alone on that rooftop without another word.

Peyton looked down at the book in her hands. She could feel herself panic at just the thought of having to open it even though she knew Haley was 100 percent right. Despite everything Peyton said, she wasn't ready to let Lucas go. She wasn't ready to give up on him just yet.

Peyton hugged the book to her chest tightly. She leaned up against the brick wall, sliding down to the ground to sit, staring at Lucas' book for several minutes in complete silence. Just as she got the nerve to open the cover her phone buzzed.

She released a loud sigh still feeling completely jittery about having to read this book and then pulled out her phone.

It was a text message. From Julian of all people.

That was strange.

She swiped through opening the text, her face sinking rapidly as she read Julian's message. Peyton felt her body breakout into a cold sweat and suddenly it was hard to breath.

Seconds later a breathless Haley reappeared on the roof holding up her own phone and looking completely terrified. It was obvious she had received Julian's message as well.

"Brooke." Peyton tearfully choked out unable to move from her spot. She was frozen in place.

Haley was the first of the two to finally snap out of it. "We need to get the hospital. NOW."

* * *

She's running.

She's running fast.

As fast as her skinny legs can carry her through those long hospital corridors.

The second they had arrived at the hospital Peyton had jumped out of the car, bolting through the doors while Haley stayed behind to park. She vaguely remembers barking at the nurses' station, scaring the living hell out of the staff, demanding to know what room they were keeping her best friend in.

She needed to know that Brooke was okay. That the babies were going to be okay. Peyton needed to know that the last exchange she'd had with Brooke wasn't the last.

It just couldn't be.

Julian's text message had seriously felt like a stab to the gut. According to the message Brooke had been home this afternoon perched on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. She had leaned across the bar to grab a magazine, the shifting of her weight causing the stool to tip over taking Brooke down with it. What followed next was an insurmountable amount of pain and far too much blood escaping from between the brunette's legs as her husband raced her to the emergency room. Julian had sent another follow up message explaining that they had rushed Brooke for an emergency C-section and prior to that Brooke had already lost consciousness due to the blood loss.

That had been over an hour ago.

And that was it.

No one had heard from Julian since.

Peyton had been repeatedly dialing his number but she hadn't been able to get through. The hospital must have had shitty reception. To make matters worse Peyton and Haley had been stuck in traffic for the last 45 minutes due to some accident on the highway.

She feels like her legs are about to fall off, but Peyton wills herself to pick up the pace knowing Brooke's room was located around the next corner. After practically threatening all the nurses at the front desk within an inch of their lives she was able to get the room number out of them. They had foolishly put up a good fight at first since Peyton technically wasn't a blood-relative.

After rounding the corner Peyton spots the room number she's been looking for. The door is closed, but she doesn't bother knocking and storms inside the room, pretty much out of breath by this point.

Brooke's there and she's wide awake sitting up on the bed. Peyton notices the large bandage situated on the side of Brooke's forehead.

Brooke looks up at her and sends her a weak smile. She looks tired and pale, but otherwise looks okay. "Hi." She manages to rasp out.

Peyton takes another good hard look at her and immediately bursts into tears.

"Hey I'm okay." Brooke gently tells the blonde.

Brooke's reassurance does nothing to calm her. The blonde just wordlessly shakes her head and begins to sob louder.

"I'm okay." Brooke repeats before lifting her arms out. Peyton instantly rushes over to her side and the two friends embrace. "I'm okay Peyton." She whispers while Peyton continues to cry in her arms.

Peyton pulls back. "I thought that...Julian said that you weren't waking up...and that there was blood and...I thought...I thought" She stutters through her words, swallowing down her sobs while her entire body trembles.

"I'm okay." Brooke smiles and tucks a loose curl behind Peyton's ear. "I promise."

Peyton immediately hugs her again causing Brooke to groan a little from the rough move that put pressure on her injuries. "Sorry." She apologizes and loosens her hold.

"It's okay. I'm just a little tender from the fall and the surgery."

Peyton looks around the room realizing it's emptiness for the first time. Julian wasn't here and there wasn't any sign of the twins.

Her heart sinks and her face falls. Her mind thinking the absolute worse.

"The twins?" She chokes out. She turned back to Brooke and her eyes go wide with fear.

"They're fine." Brooke quickly nods. "They have to stay in the NICU for the next week or so for observation since they came a few weeks early, but so far the doctor says everything looks good. We're all fine."

"Oh thank god." Peyton cries out the fresh set of tears that escape her system.

"Julian's with them right now." Brooke explained.

Peyton nodded and exhaled deeply. She felt like she could breath again now knowing that everyone was okay. That she hadn't lost her best friend.

She grabbed both of Brooke's hands and held on to them tightly. "I am so sorry. I really am Brooke...for everything. You're my best friend in the entire world. I don't want to ever lose what we have. Please believe that. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

Peyton quickly shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about. This was all me."

"I shouldn't have attacked you like I did at the shower. I could have handled it better. We both could have. I hated that fight. You're my best friend too Peyton. Always."

She was shaking her head again at Brooke. "I'm not sorry it happened. I needed to hear that. I promise I'm gonna do better Brooke. I'm gonna fix our friendship and make it up to you. God there's been so much stuff going on lately with me and I'm gonna tell you all of it. I will. I promise. I won't push you away anymore okay? I don't want to. I need my best friend back just like I know you need yours too."

Brooke eagerly nodded. Now she was crying too. She squeezed Peyton's hands a little tighter.

"Hoes over bros?" Peyton said.

The brunette released a teary laugh. "Hoes over bros." She confirmed and winked.

"I am sorry Brooke." Peyton told her still looking ashamed.

"I know you are Peyton and I forgive you."

Peyton's face fell slightly. "Just like that?" She hadn't expected Brooke to forgive her so easily.

"That's what best friends do." Brooke simply replied. Peyton was finally owning up to her mistakes and that's all Brooke had wanted from her. All she wanted was her best friend and it looked like she was finally getting her back.

Peyton paused for a moment and then spoke up again. "I love you Brooke. I can't remember the last time I told you that and I should say it more often. You're one of the best things in my life and I love you."

"I love you too Peyton." Brooke replied before releasing a happy chuckle. Her eyes had suddenly lit up. "And I know a way you can start making things up to me right now."

Peyton quickly nodded. "Yea of course, anything." She replied with such determination.

"Well you can start by meeting your godson." Brooke smiled and playfully nodded over towards the door.

"What?" Peyton said surprised. She looked over her shoulder and there was Julian holding one of the twins. The nurse standing beside him holding the other. She then whipped her head back around to face Brooke looking dumbfounded. "Godmother? Me? Really? Are sure?"

Brooke must have been crazy to even suggest that. Peyton didn't think she deserved to play such an important role after everything that had happened. She had assumed Haley would be gifted with that title. Not her.

Brooke scoffed. "You really thought it wouldn't be you?" She replied incredulously. "Wow sometimes you really are a blonde." Brooke then added teasingly.

"I just thought..." Peyton stammered. Well this was a surprise.

"You only get one kid though." Julian joked as he moved in closer and passed off the child in his arms to his mother.

"Huh?"

"Haley gets to be godmother too." Brooke explained before focusing on her son. "Hi buddy. I missed you so, so much." She gently whispered before dropped a kiss over the crown of his head.

Peyton watched in awe as she watched her best friend interact with her newborn. Brooke was a natural.

"Peyton this is Davis." Brooke spoke introducing the two. "And buddy this is your Aunt Peyton."

"He's perfect."

"Isn't he?" Brooke replied in agreement.

"And this is Jude." Julian announced reappearing with baby Baker number two in his arms.

"Meet your godson Peyton." Brooke said while sporting a grin.

Peyton looked down at the Jude. "Him?" She spoke rather terrified.

Brooke laughed. "Yes you dork."

"You wanna hold him?" Julian offered.

"It's okay?" The blonde wondered out loud. He was so tiny. They both were. And she had never held a newborn before. She was afraid she might break him.

"Of course it's okay. Here take him." Julian gently slipped Jude into Peyton's arms before she could protest any further. He fussed for a few seconds while in her arms before settling down.

Peyton couldn't help but smile at the sleeping baby in her arms. It warmed her heart. It made her happy being able to share this moment with Brooke and Julian. "He's so beautiful." She looked back up towards the new parents. "They both are. Congratulations you guys. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Brooke and Julian replied together.

"And hey nice work dad. These are some good looking kids." Peyton joked.

"Aren't they?" Julian grinned, his chest swelling up with pride. "I did do some good work right babe?"

"Yes dear." Brooke replied in an amused tone, though her focus was still on Davis who had begun to fuss. She began rocking him hoping to calm him down.

"Brooke you're a mom." Peyton chuckled. It was still kind of surreal to watch her best friend be a mother now. For so long it had just been them two. Them against the world. And now Brooke had her own little family. She had grown up so much and Peyton was happy for her. Brooke finally got her happy ending and she deserved every bit of it.

"I know right?!" Brooke exclaimed. "It's so weird that they're finally here. It's crazy. I'm a mom now. I hope I'm okay at this."

"You're gonna kickass at this." Peyton told her.

"You think so?"

"I know so." Peyton replied confidently.

Julian smiled to himself. It was about time the two women had worked things out. He knew better than anyone that these two couldn't live without one another.

"Thank you Peyton." Brooke whispered out tearfully.

"Brooke you're okay! Thank goodness." Haley spoke out just as her and Nathan entered the room. Nathan had arrived right after she had managed to find a parking spot. "We were so worried."

"Everything's okay." Brooke nodded reassuringly. "Thank you both for coming. Come meet the twins!"

Haley quietly tiptoed towards the bed, Nathan faithfully trailing behind. "Oh my god they're so cute." She cooed as she peeked over at both of the babies.

Nathan slapped Julian on the back. "Congrats man. Nice work."

"This is Davis." Brooke proudly announced. "And Peyton's holding Jude."

"Is this my godson?" Haley questioned in excitement at Davis.

"Sure is." Brooke replied. "Wanna hold him?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Haley jumped up practically snatching the baby away from Brooke.

Everyone laughed.

"Oh I miss them when they're this small." Haley commented as she gently bounced Davis in her arms. She looked over at Nathan hopeful.

"Nope." Nathan replied deadpanned. The two kids they had now were more than enough at the moment.

Haley pouted. "We'll see." She muttered under her breath before refocusing her attention on Davis. Convincing Nathan to have another baby wouldn't be too hard. This was far from over.

"How long will you guys have to stay in the hospital?" Nathan wondered.

"I'll probably be here for couple more days." Brooke answered.

"The twins probably for at least a week just as a precaution." Julian added.

Nathan nodded. "Well I'm glad everyone is okay. You scared the crap out of us Davis."

"Thanks Nate." Brooke said warmly as she watched Haley pass the baby to Nathan.

"Can we get you guys anything?" Haley questioned, her eyes turning towards Brooke.

Brooke shook her head. "I'm okay?"

"You sure?"

"I've got everything I need." Brooke said with a smile.

Haley returned the smile. She look down noticing that Peyton had one of her hands placed over Brooke's hand, while still holding Jude up with her other arm. "Aww you guys!" She blurted out in a cry. It seemed that her two friends were finally on the same page again. These last few days had been such an emotional rollercoaster for their entire group. Haley didn't bother fighting it she just let the tears roll down her face. She was so happy. "Does this mean we're all friends again?!"

The emotions in the room spread quickly, like wildfire, and it wasn't long before both Peyton and Brooke lost their composure once again.

"Goddammit Haley." Brooke scolded as she wiped the tears down her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Should we...go?" Nathan turned to Julian awkwardly. There were three grown ass women crying in front of him and it was starting to get uncomfortable. He assumed these were happy tears?

Julian looked just as uncomfortable. "Maybe we should give them a minute."

With a nod Nathan handed over baby Davis to his mother. "C'mon I'll buy you a celebratory beer." Nathan suggested as the two men slipped out of the room.

Julian gave him a perplexed look. "Dude. We're at a hospital."

"Oh. Right." Nathan frowned. "Damn. Shitty coffee from the cafeteria then?"

* * *

"Hi there." Haley found her husband in the waiting room and she took the seat right next to him.

"Hey." Nathan greeted her, accepting the quick peck Haley gave him.

"Where's Peyton?"

"Still in the room catching up with Brooke and Julian."

"And those two are okay now?"

Haley nodded. "Yea, I mean I'm sure they still have things to hash out, but with time yea I think they'll be okay, probably stronger than ever."

Nathan nodded."Speaking of hashing things out we still haven't talked about Chicago."

Haley looked down at her lap. "Yeah." She sighed. "I know."

"We have to decide soon Hales. My agent can't hold them off forever."

She sighed again. "I know."

"We don't have to go to Chicago Haley. I'm happy staying put with the Bobcats. They've been good to me. It's a strong team."

"Yea but it's not the Chicago Bulls or any of the other big ones." She teased. "I hear the winters suck though."

"If you don't like Chicago that's fine."

"Nathan you know it was never about not liking Chicago. I like the city just fine. I was upset that you jumped and made a rash decision without me."

"I know. Believe me I know. I got carried away and you know how sorry I am about that baby."

"I know you are."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I just want to be happy." Haley replied. "I want our kids to be happy. I want you to be happy."

"I am happy Haley." Nathan countered.

Haley laughed. "Oh so you'd be happy passing up on the opportunity to play in the same place that housed Michel Jordan? Your idol?"

Nathan scoffed trying to play it off. "I mean he's ALRIGHT. Well not counting that brief baseball stint. I dunno what the hell that was." He mumbled in disappointment.

"Oh my god you worship him! I wouldn't be surprised if you loved him more than you loved me." Haley teased.

"Not as much as I worship you Haley James Scott." He leaned in pressing their lips together, kissing her deeply.

"God the things you say to me sometimes." Haley mumbled against his lips before going in for another steamy kiss. Nathan still managed to give her butterflies even after so many years together. "I love you so much."

"Me too."

He kissed her one last time before pulling back.

"So we'll stay here then." Nathan decided. It was the right thing to do.

"Lydia's young enough that I think she'll be okay. She'll adjust quickly."

Nathan's eyes widened. "Are you saying that...?"

"So that just leaves Jamie. If we really think he can handle this then..."

Nathan gulped. "Then?" Was this actually happening?

"THEN..." Haley smiled and chuckled. "...I guess we're moving to Chicago."

"Hales." Nathan began. She didn't have to do this. He really was perfectly fine staying in North Carolina. "You don't have to."

"I know that sweetie, but I want to. I'm actually kind of excited about it now." She admitted. "Could be fun getting to experience a whole new place. We've never really left North Carolina. Our whole life has always been here and I'll admit that the thought of leaving this place was really scary to me and really intimating. But if there's anything that these last six months have taught me is that life is way too short and I don't want to miss out on any of it. So now I say let's take this opportunity, grab it by the horns, and make it our bitch."

Nathan erupted in laughter "That's my girl."

"So Chicago then?" She grinned.

Nathan nodded. "Chicago."

Just then Peyton appeared.

"Hey Sawyer." Nathan greeted.

"You heading out?" Haley wondered.

Peyton nodded. "Yea. Brooke's exhausted and visiting hours are pretty much over. I should be getting home anyways."

"Yea it's been a long day." Haley agreed. They had been at the hospital for a few hours now. "Get some rest okay?"

"I will. After."

"After?" Haley wondered.

Peyton shrugged. "I've got some reading material to get to that's long overdue." She replied with a small smile. "See you later."

Both Haley and Nathan said their goodbyes.

Haley turned to Nathan once Peyton was out of sight. "She's in love with him you know."

Nathan's face scrunched up. "Who? Lucas? Didn't we all already know that?" He joked.

She slapped his shoulder unamused. "Not funny. You know this whole mess between your brother and Peyton has a lot to do with Peyton's inability to open up to him."

"Well yea, but I mean c'mon it's pretty obvious that she's in love with Luke. I've never doubted it."

"Tell that to your brother."

"Well you know Luke's always been a little slow." Nathan quipped. "Same goes for Peyton."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes. "You're not being helpful Nathan."

"Okay, okay, clearly there's something you know that I don't. What is it?"

She was grinning instantly. "Peyton's in love with Lucas and she doesn't even realize it. I literally saw the proof today."

"Okay..."

"Do you remember that one time Lucas and Peyton were broken up for like a month?"

Nathan paused to think, but nothing was clicking.

"Remember they had this huge fight a couple of months after they eloped and she moved out? She stayed at Brooke's for a few days and then she skipped town and went to Florida to meet up with her dad since his boat was docked there?"

"Right." Nathan said now remembering. He couldn't remember the reason why the couple had called it quits, but he did remember how furious Lucas had been when Peyton returned from visiting her father a couple of weeks later. She had quietly snuck back into town and avoided him. It didn't last long though. Two days later Lucas discovered she was back when he had stopped by Nathan's house unannounced and Peyton just happened to be there. A screaming match is what pretty much followed after, forcing Nathan and a very pregnant Haley at the time to grab Jamie and exit their own house leaving Peyton and Lucas to work out their shit.

Nathan scowled, the memory becoming clearer. "Oh I remember now. We got kicked out of our own house." He complained. They had returned to the house a few hours later and it became quickly apparent that Lucas and Peyton had worked out their issues judging by the mess of clothes left scattered around the living room and the audible moans coming from the back guest room. Haley had quickly covered Jamie's ears and they were forced to leave the house for the second time that day. "Twice. Those bastards."

Haley chuckled. "Well anyway when that happened Lucas' first book had already been released and when she came back to work there was a stack of Lucas' books in her office. One day I asked her about it and it turns out that while they were separated anytime she passed by a bookstore she would buy his book. She said she did it because it was her way of supporting him even though they weren't together anymore and obviously because she missed him. It was her own way of showing that she still loved him."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with anything?" Nathan questioned. He wasn't picking up on whatever point his wife was trying to make here.

Hayley's face lit up. "I went over to check up on Peyton today and guess what I discovered in her room."

Nathan smirked. "Let me guess a stack of Lucas' books?" He understood now.

"Yep. She has multiple copies of all three books and just like before she picks them up each time she passes the bookstore. Except this time she told me she really wasn't sure why she kept doing it. It's just a voice inside her head compelling her to do it every single time."

"Holy shit." He whispered out. "So is this like a lost memory returning then?"

"Sort of I guess. I mean the behavior is the same even though she technically doesn't really understand the reason behind her actions, but the point is just like before she did it because she loves Lucas. It's her own way of being there for him."

Nathan nodded in agreement. "Did you tell her that?"

Haley quickly shook her head. "This is something Peyton needs to realize on her own otherwise it won't work. She'll just be in denial."

"Okay so...we just wait? What if that never happens?"

"Oh don't worry. It's been handled." Haley assured her husband. "Just because I didn't tell Peyton the truth doesn't mean I didn't give her a push in the right direction."

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"I'm more than positive that by tomorrow all of Peyton's insecurities about her relationship with Lucas will be long gone." Haley spoke happily. "Trust me."

"Haley James Scott have you been meddling?" He questioned sounding surprised.

Haley shrugged. "Well like you said those two are a little slow and this nonsense has gone on long enough. Don't you agree?"

"Yes."

"Well then help me get them back together once and for all."

"How do you propose we do that Hales? They're both stubborn as hell. You know that."

Haley scoffed. She wasn't worried. "All we have to do is get them in the same room Nathan. Those two have never managed to stay apart for very long. I just know once they catch sight of each other again it's a done deal. They miss each other terribly and they love each other deeply. I just know in my gut that once they see one another again they'll both realize how foolish they've been. It'll work."

Nathan however remained skeptical. "You think so?"

"I know so." Haley answered. "All we have to do is get them in the same place at the same time. Force them to face each other because knowing them they'll drag it on otherwise."

"Lucas flies in tomorrow." Nathan reminded her.

"I know which is why we need to hatch a plan quickly."

"I've got one."

"Go on." Haley encouraged.

"I'm supposed to pick him up from the airport."

"So?"

"So I'm thinking what if I don't?"

She frowned. "And that helps us how?"

Nathan couldn't help but roll his eyes at his wife. He then sent her a knowing look patiently waiting for the information to click.

It wasn't long before a grin broke over her pink-stained lips. "Babe, you're a genius."

* * *

She snapped the book shut when she was done.

Her green orbs looked at the clock. It was 4:38 in the morning. Her eyes burned from staying up all night reading. They burned from all the tears that had taken over during the course of the night.

It was beautiful. All of it. Every single word Lucas had written about her.

It was pure. It was emotional. It was raw. It was honest. It was love.

Her mind kept going back to the words she read.

 _"Peyton Sawyer is destined for greatness. Actually she's already great. Because Peyton Sawyer has a thing called integrity. And nothing or no one is ever going to change that."_

 _"The boy saw the comet and he felt as though his life had meaning. And when it went away, he waited his entire life for it to come back to him."_

 _"And what remained in that bizarre, muffled silence was only Peyton, the girl whose art and passion and beauty had changed my life."_

 _"The realization that we had always been meant for each other and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth. I was now, and would always be, in love with Peyton Sawyer."_

 _"It was more than just a comet because of what it brought to his life: direction, beauty, meaning. There were many who couldn't understand, and sometimes he walked among them. But even in his darkest hours, he knew in his heart that someday it would return to him, and his world would be whole again...and his belief in God and love and art would be re-awakened in his heart."_

And she had returned to him. Through all the struggles they had shared, both before and after the accident, Peyton had always returned to him. And it was simply because she loved him. She loved Lucas Scott. She'd been in love with him this whole time, even at the very beginning when she had kept him at a distance. When he had been a stranger. A stranger that she had quickly grown to love and admire.

And Lucas loved her too, something she had always believed, but had lately been doubting considering everything that had happened between them recently.

But now Peyton understood. It didn't matter how many times they walked away from each other.

She and Lucas would always find their way back to each other.

He loved her down to her very core.

He loved her for her.

Hell he loved her before he ever really knew her. Before they ever really met.

He loved her before they were together. He loved her when they finally got together. And now Peyton knew that Lucas still loved her now, even if she was a little different, a little broken, a little rougher than the girl from his past.

She understood that now. Lucas loved her so much more than she could have ever imagined and so did she. Her heart aches in this moment, but in a good way. It's full of love, and hope, and passion, and excitement.

She was in love with Lucas Scott – he was right. Every instinct to the contrary really had been a denial of the truth.

Why the fuck hadn't she read this sooner? She really was an idiot.

"Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott." The blonde quietly said to herself. She was hugging her copy of The Comet tightly up against her chest.

Peyton knew what she had to do now.

* * *

Lucas makes his way through the arrivals gate of the airport. His eyes are instantly scanning the area in search of Nathan, but he can't seem to spot the younger Scott. He whips out his cell to text him, concluding that Nathan must be running late to pick him up.

While he waits for Nathan to reply, Lucas heads towards baggage claim. The majority of the passengers from his flight are already there, standing by the carousel waiting for their bags to appear. Lucas' eyes circle over and over the rotating line of luggage unable to spot his.

Ten minutes later and most of the luggage on the carousel had been picked off by now, while the suitcase he had checked-in never turned up. "Just perfect." Lucas grumbled out. He didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. These last few days in general had been pretty awful. He was filled with anger and regret, and worst of all fear. This fear that he had taken things too far. Screwed things up past the point of return.

He should have come home sooner. Now it was probably too late.

Peyton wasn't answering his calls and it was frustrating. Not that he didn't deserve it considering he had pulled the same childish move on her only a few weeks ago.

It was still a bitter pill to swallow though.

Lucas releases a loud sigh and pulled out his phone again. No word from Nathan still. He found it odd knowing that his brother was usually good about keeping his phone on him most of time.

He decided to give the baggage claim area one final sweep before having to head over to the airport's lost and found desk to file a report, but before Lucas could do so he feels a gentle tap over his right shoulder.

Lucas turns around and is immediately floored.

She speaks first. "Hi."

He ends up blinking hard a few times wondering if he's imagining things. If he's actually gone insane for a brief moment because he wasn't expecting to see her. At least not right away. He wasn't even sure if Peyton wanted to ever see him again. That last phone call had been a rough one.

But he wasn't crazy. She really was standing right in front of him and he also notices her left hand gripping the handle of his suitcase.

Clearly she had been here for awhile.

"Peyton. I..." He doesn't even know what to say and she looks beautiful of course. Like she always does and god has he missed her, in spite of all the heartache.

"What are you doing here?" He finally questions because he is curious. "Nathan was supposed to pick me up."

"He suggested that maybe I should come instead." Peyton informs him. There's a bit of nerves vibrating off her words. She's happy to see him, but she's still a nervous mess. There was no guarantee this thing between them was going to work. She loved and craved him desperately, but at the same time they has done a lot of damage to each other. There was no easy fix to their relationship, but she was willing to try and own up to all her mistakes.

But this would only work if Lucas was willing to do the same.

Only then could they really start forgiving each other and move forward.

"And I wanted to see you." She then revealed. There was no point in dancing around the issue. They needed to be straight with each other. No more lies, no mores secrets, just honestly.

Lucas' eyes widened. "You did?" He looked down at her with a hopeful look.

The blonde nodded. "Yes. I really did."

There's a sigh of relief that escapes past his mouth and he's instantly stepping forward, reaching for her. "God I've missed you so much baby."

Peyton sort of flinches and quickly takes a step back stopping Lucas dead in his tracks.

Lucas' face falls flat. "I'm sorry." He apologizes while taking a step back. "I thought that..." He's disappointed and embarrassed because clearly he misread the situation. She doesn't want him to touch her and it hurts. "I'm sorry." He apologizes again.

Peyton tightly pursed her lips together offering a weak smile. His touches have only ever distracted her and she needs to remain strong and focused on what she wants right now.

"I want what you want Lucas."

Lucas's eyes narrow in confusion.

Peyton takes in a deep breath before continuing. "I want everything you want. I want us to be happy. I want us to have a this incredible, strong, happy marriage. I want us to grow old together. I want us to be able to confide in each other. To really trust each other. To really love each other. I want us to have this amazing life together. Everything that you wrote about me in your book. I want that too Lucas. I want it all and most importantly I want it all with you and NO ONE else."

"You read The Comet." He gathered.

"Do you still want that life with me?" Peyton pressed him.

"You seriously think I don't?" He retorted slightly offended.

"And you seriously think I have no room to question it?"

Lucas snapped his eyes shut and hung his head. "No." He admitted. She had every right and they both knew it. His actions had provided enough reasons for Peyton to doubt his words.

"We can have that life together Lucas. I can give you that, but I can only give it to you as ME. Only as the woman that got into an accident six months ago, can't remember a thing, but she's been slowly picking up the pieces of her life ever since."

Lucas slowly nodded his head. He looked ashamed. In many ways he had always been waiting for the old Peyton to come back to him and he knew it was unfair.

"But even now I'm still the girl you managed to get to fall for you. Just like you did all those years ago."

Lucas studied Peyton carefully and swallowed hard. He still wasn't sure if he was reading the situation correctly and it was causing a slight panic within. He could feel and hear his heart violently thumping against his chest. "Do you mean that Peyton?" He questioned. His voice was shaken and those blue eyes of his were suddenly wet.

She sent him a confident nod. "I love you Lucas Scott." Her teary emerald eyes matched his blue ones.

Lucas' face was suddenly right in front of hers. It took Peyton by surprise how quickly he had shot right in front of her. His hands were holding her face close to his.

"Say that again." Lucas quietly blew out the request. "Please." He wanted to make sure he wasn't dreaming. That this was real.

Peyton chuckled. "I love you. I love you very much."

Lucas still couldn't believe it. It felt too surreal. "Even after everything?"

"Yes." She replied. "Lost memories and all I still managed to find my way back to you. And I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how I really felt, but now that I'm sure, I promise you that the way I feel about you Lucas, I've never felt this way with anyone. You complete me and I'm at home when I'm with you."

He let out a teary laugh.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" Peyton demanded in disbelief. Here she was pouring out her feelings to him and he was being oddly silent about it.

Lucas didn't reply with words, but Peyton soon felt his lips over hers and she instantly melted into it. Her hands had traveled up to his chest, her fingers possessively yanking at the fabric of his tee as their kissed deepened. She felt that familiar fire consume her body. A feeling she had missed dearly and it was fairly obvious Lucas had missed it too.

They broke apart.

Faces flushed.

Heavy breathing.

Her fingers still wrapped around his shirt.

His hands still delicately caressing her face.

Their noses now pressed together as they caught one another's gaze.

"Don't you still love me too?" Peyton teased and she pitched his chest. He still hadn't said it back.

"Of course I do. I love you Peyton and I've never stopped loving you." Lucas gently pressed their lips together. His lips lingered for a few seconds before pulling back. "I am so sorry baby. I messed up. I should have never left the way I did. Please forgive me. I do whatever it takes. Whatever you need."

"I need you to fight for us."

"I will." Lucas promised. "I'm so sorry." He kissed her again. "I'm so sorry for what I said or didn't say, or really what I should have said over the phone. Of course I want to be with you. You will always be enough Peyton. Always. I don't need a baby for you to complete me. All I've ever needed was you. It's always been you Peyton. You have to be believe that. I don't know how not to love you. It's the only thing I'm sure of."

"I know." Peyton softly told him. She was clear on that now.

"I was scared that we might never have what we had before. It scared the shit out of me. I didn't want to lose what we had. But that's no excuse, even if I didn't mean to, putting that pressure on you was unfair. I don't ever want you to think that you aren't enough for me or that you have to be someone you're not. Please don't think I don't love the person you are now. I should have made that clear. My actions should have made that clearer. I get that now. I love every version of you. That will never changed."

"I know that honey. I know that now too." She pressed their lips together once more. "You have to do better okay?" She pleaded with him.

"I promise."

"I will too. I know how much I hurt you. I don't want us to hurt each other anymore. I just want to start healing together okay?"

Lucas nodded tearfully.

"I love you Lucas Scott. I love you so much. Don't you dare leave me again."

Lucas smiled. "I won't. Ever." He knew they had a long way to go before things would be completely right between them, but as long as they loved each other Lucas knew they'd get through it. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel. All they had to do was work for it and work together to get there.

Peyton returned the smile. "Good." She took in a deep breath and pressed their lips together one last time before taking a step back from him.

Lucas felt Peyton's hands disappear from this chest. The lost of contact made him unhappy at once. They'd been apart long enough and he didn't particularly enjoy it. He just wanted her close again.

He watched Peyton begin to fumble with her hands. The fingers of her right hand twisting and pulling at the rings over her ring finger.

"Peyton what are you doing?" He asked in disbelief after she had taken his hand and placed those two rings into his palm. His hand closed around them feeling the cold metal against his skin. He didn't understand what was going on. Hadn't they just reconciled? Had Peyton changed her mind that quickly?

"What are you doing Peyton?" Lucas repeated with a little more force. "Take them back please." He urged.

"I meant what I said before Lucas. I want everything with you. We've made a lot of good memories together these last six months and for that I'm so grateful. And it makes me so happy that we can still be a good thing even though what we had before is lost to me, but that doesn't mean I don't want some of those memories back."

Lucas' face narrowed and he shook his head. "I don't understand what you're doing right now Peyton." Why was she giving him back her rings? Did she want a divorce? It didn't make any sense to him. She just told him that she wanted to be with him. That she loved him.

"Peyton Sawyer will become Peyton Scott." The blonde whispered out.

But his ears still caught it. "What did you just say?" He asked with caution.

And then Peyton smiled at him. "Marry me."

Lucas paused. "Wait? What?"

"I told you I want it all. I want that memory. I want that memory of walking down the aisle with you waiting for me at the other end of it wearing that goofy smile of yours that I love so damn much. It makes me go weak in the knees every time. I want that memory of us exchanging our vows and declaring our love for one another to the world. I want that. I need that. Please let me have that. So marry me again...for like the third time."

They both shared a hearty laugh.

"We sure do like to get married a lot." Lucas teased, his fears completely fading away now that he understood what Peyton wanted. He found himself wanting it too. Wanting it badly. Renewing their vows would only bring them closer to the happy ending they both wanted.

Peyton grinned up at him. "Is that yes?"

Lucas opened his mouth to reply.

"No wait." She interrupted. "I have to do this the right way. The official way." She teased before going down on one knee and grabbing one of his hands. A few airport stragglers had started to stare at them, but she didn't care. "Lucas Scott will you marry me in front of all our family and friends one last time? Make me the happiest girl in the world? Make your girl? Forever?"

Lucas laughed again. He kneeled down on the floor to join Peyton. "Yes. Hell yes." He replied before kissing her hard.

With that grin still on her face Peyton held out her left hand, and Lucas took it and slipped her engagement ring and wedding band right back where they belonged. "I love you baby, but you nearly gave me a heartache just now when you gave your rings back. You remember I have HCM right? Not cool."

Peyton chuckled. "Sorry. I was trying to be the romantic one for once. You're always doing all the sweet gestures. It was my turn."

Lucas playful shook his head. "Those gestures might need some work." He teased earning him a slap on the chest from Peyton.

"Hey be nice, otherwise I just might change my mind about letting you take me home now so you can show me exactly how sorry you are and just how much you've been missing me."

"I'll be good." Lucas blurted out quickly. "Let's get the hell out of here. God knows I've been the biggest idiot lately, so it'll probably take all night for me to make it up to you."

Peyton shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably even longer that." She quipped just as eager to get them home so she could have Lucas all to herself.

Lucas grinned. "You are so right."

And with that Lucas Scott put one hand on his suitcase and his other arm around his girl and together they began to make their way out of the airport. Peyton leaned in closer and he held on to her a little tighter.

His lips dropped over her ear. "Say it again." He softly requested.

Peyton smiled. Her eyes traveled up to meet his after tilting her head up to look at him as they continued to walk. "I love you Lucas Scott." She happily told him loving the rush that came with it.

Lucas pressed his lips against the side of her temple, delivering three kisses one after another. He was never going to get tired of hearing Peyton repeat those three little words to him. It was music to his ears.

And then his lips went back to hovering over Peyton's ear.

"Again."

* * *

And there you go! I hope everyone enjoyed the final chapter and I can't wait to hear your thoughts! So please please review! It's the last one guys so please let me know what you thought, it would really mean a lot!

Now I know overall there wasn't a lot of Leyton in this last chapter, but at the end of the day even though this is a Leyton tale, this story was always more about Peyton's journey and having her coming out of the other-side as a stronger person. And I'm really happy with the way this character has evolved over time and I just absolutely love her.

BUT have no fear this isn't technically the end - there will be an epilogue to follow and I promise that it's all 100% Leyton. A lot of good moments between them to come. I'm not gonna leave you hanging on that one.

Until next time and please please review!

Chapter Track: 'Say You Won't Let Go' by James Arthur


	51. Epilogue

So I should have posted this weeks ago. Sorry for disappearing on you guys. I suck.

As promised this is all Leyton with plenty of feels to go around after that pretty intense final chapter.

* * *

Epilogue

She's out of breath.

Heavy pants continuing to escape past her lips while her chest heaves repeatedly. She feels a little light-headed, but it's the good kind. The kind of feeling that leaves you in this euphoric state that you'd wish lasted forever.

Peyton feels Lucas' face rubbing against her neck causing her to smile almost immediately and she releases a tiny exhausted chuckle. He's completely spent. His body limp and heavy over hers, a stark contrast to a mere thirty seconds ago when their bodies had been thrusting frantically against each other.

Her fingers gently thread through Lucas' hair at one point stopping to playfully tug at the short hairs resting at the nape of his neck.

She then feels Lucas begin to shift his body indicating that he's about to roll off her any second now.

"Not yet." Peyton gently tells her husband, meanwhile the legs wrapped around his waist instinctively tighten to lock him in place. "Just a little longer."

"Babe I'm crushing you." Lucas points out. Her body is basically pinned down underneath his. He moans a little and swallows hard when she squeezes her legs a little tighter. Despite already reaching his release she still feels amazing around him.

Peyton quickly shakes her head. "I don't mind."

She really didn't. Besides the sex of course this was her absolute favorite part. In the moments after their lovemaking when they were skin to skin, bodies still joint and tightly pressed up against one another. She loved the feel of his damp skin over hers and the sound and feel of his heart beating rapidly against her own. Peyton cherished the connection.

"Peyton."

"Just a little bit longer okay?" She pleaded.

Okay, so yea Lucas wasn't exactly light as a feather, but she had good reason behind her motives. They had both decided to just go with the flow and allow fate to take over, but that didn't mean that Peyton wasn't going to push the odds in her favor just a little if she could.

Peyton sent him a hopeful pout.

Lucas chuckled and playfully shook his head at her. He couldn't say no to that face and so he stayed put, shifting is body slightly so that only some of his weight was on her now. He dropped a trail of kisses from her lips, across her cheek and down to her neck.

Peyton hummed softly. She relaxed again allowing her eyes to shut while Lucas' lips were still glued to the side of her neck.

Less than a minute later he abruptly stopped and pulled back.

"What do you think you're doing?" She questioned a bit harshly from him ruining the mood.

"I really gotta get up babe."

Peyton frowned. "What? Why?"

"I've really gotta pee."

"Are you being serious right now?!" Peyton complained in disbelief.

Lucas simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Why didn't you go before?" She scolded.

"I didn't have to before." Lucas defended.

"Well can't you hold on a little longer?"

"Nope."

Peyton immediately tightened her legs around his waist again, but it was no use. Lucas was a lot stronger than her and he easily pried her legs apart with his hands. She scoffed displeased.

"Lucas Scott don't you see I'm trying to get pregnant here." The blonde exclaimed.

Lucas laughed. "Yes sweetheart. I'm well aware." He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Though last time I checked WE are trying to get pregnant." He teased. "But right now I really gotta pee."

Peyton scoffed again after Lucas delivered another quick kiss before pulling away and slipping completely out of her. He quickly hopped out of the bed and with a frown she watched him slip out of their bedroom.

Peyton blew out an angry breath and sighed.

* * *

Lucas reappeared a couple of minutes later. Peyton had already rolled over to her side of the bed. She was tucked under the covers with her back facing him.

"For the record I'll be blaming you if I'm not knocked up after this." Peyton announced as soon as she felt the bed dip from Lucas' weight.

He smiled and was unable to control the laugh that slipped out.

"Not funny." Peyton spoke not appreciating that her husband was laughing at her.

"Aw babe c'mon." Lucas inched towards her pressing himself against her back. He wrapped his right arm over her stomach and pressed his lips against the back of her neck, before burying his face at the crook of her neck. "You're gonna get your baby. I promise."

There was a brief pause of silence, but eventually Peyton turned over on her side to face him. "Our baby." She spoke softly, while sporting a coy smile.

Lucas nodded. "Our baby." He quickly corrected while lovingly placing a hand on the side of her face.

"I love you so much." Peyton said before leaning in to kiss him.

He never got tired of hearing those words come out of Peyton's mouth. It had been eighteen months since she had proposed to him and confessed her love at that airport. And since then Peyton had faithfully stuck to her words and told Lucas she loved him every single day. Usually more than once a day. She had never waivered and of course he hadn't either.

When the kiss ended Lucas echoed her feelings. "And I love you." His thumbs gently stroked the side of Peyton's cheek making them both smile.

After reuniting at the airport they didn't wait long to renew their vows. In less than three weeks they managed to put together a wedding that satisfied both the bride and groom. Unlike their first wedding which had been quite large, this one was simple and intimate. The guest list was small consisting of only their closest friends from Tree Hill, though Peyton did invite her two best friends from college, Vero & M Roe, after finally fessing up to the girls about her accident and the memory loss. Lucas' family also flew in from New Zealand and Peyton was reintroduced to Karen, Lily and Andy, who up until that point she had only known them through awkward phone chats and skype calls with Lucas.

The couple remarried at the same exact spot by the lake from their first wedding. Peyton proudly wore her old wedding dress and held a bouquet of sunflowers. In keeping with their simple theme, Brooke was the only bridesmaid while Nathan was Lucas' single groomsman. They had asked Haley to perform the ceremony and the day after the wedding Peyton had officially changed her last name to Scott.

And that was pretty much it.

Peyton got her wish. She walked down that aisle with Lucas waiting at the other end grinning from ear to ear. With teary eyes they exchanged their own vows and reaffirmed their commitment to one another in front of their family and friends. It was perfect. It was exactly what Peyton had wanted and she would cherish that memory forever. It was the fresh start they had both needed to move forward.

And now months later their marriage was stronger than ever.

That wasn't to say that the past year and a half had been smooth sailing for the couple. They'd had their fair share of heated arguments and screaming matchings. They even had some nights where they slept in separate rooms during those moments of anger, pain, and frustration. In many ways it was a completely new relationship and in those early months after getting back together both Peyton and Lucas still had a lot to learn about each other, and had to figure out what exactly it was that they wanted and how to get there together. Peyton never did get those memories of the past completely back. Every now and then she'd remember a random detail or have a sudden strong feeling about something. And on a couple of occasions a small memory would come to her in the form of a dream, but that was it. It never progressed any further than that and the couple had learned to accept that.

Peyton had still been seeing her therapist, but they started doing couples' therapy sessions, and even Lucas did a few solo sessions as well. And slowly they started to rebuild their relationship. Peyton steadily began to open up more and more. She no longer hesitated in telling Lucas how she really felt. For the first time in quite a while Peyton was comfortable in her own skin. The need to push Lucas away – or anyone for that matter – was gone. Lucas had gone through his own transformation as well. His need to latch on to the past slowly loosened and he looked forward towards his future with Peyton. He focused on loving the woman that was in front of him today and it was more than enough to keep him going. All those insecurities that had been nagging at them for so long finally melted away.

"Luke?" Peyton whispered out softly.

Lucas' eyes reopened. He had started to drift off. "Yea babe?" He released a small yawn.

"I'm really excited." She confessed.

"Me too sweetheart." Lucas replied. His hand slid down and rested over her flat belly.

Peyton looked down at his hand and she placed her own on top of his. "Do you think it'll happen soon?" She questioned looking back up at Lucas with a big smile.

"I hope so, but I do know that when it's the right time it'll happen. We don't need to rush this okay?"

Peyton slowly nodded.

"Besides I'm kind of a big fan right now of the whole just trying to have a baby part. I could do this for awhile longer." Lucas teased.

Peyton rolled her green eyes at her husband, but she smiled nonetheless. She couldn't deny it. It had been pretty fun so far. The sex between them had been pretty intense lately and they had gotten a little more creative during their activities these last couple of weeks.

"I should go take a test." Her green eyes light up with her suggestion.

"You already took one this morning." He reminded her. The pregnancy test had been negative.

"Yea but that was hours ago. A lot could have changed since then." The blonde challenged.

"Babe." Lucas laughed.

It had only been two weeks since they started trying, but secretly Lucas kind of loved how impatient Peyton had been from the very start. His wife was on a mission and she was taking it rather seriously. To be honest Lucas had been completely caught off guard when Peyton first revealed that she was ready to expand their family of two. He hadn't seen it coming at all.

Oddly enough Peyton hadn't seen it coming either. Two weeks ago having a baby was the last thing on her mind. Though the idea of being a mom was no longer terrifying, in her mind that stage of her life was still a long way from now.

But then one day after work Haley, who was in town from Chicago with Nathan and the kids, invited her over for dinner. The second they had walked through the door Haley was greeted by her two kids. Lydia had excitedly ran into her mother's arms to welcome her home and Jamie wasn't far behind walking up to greet his mother as well. Then Nathan appeared greeting Haley with a both a hug and a kiss. In that moment they were the definition of the picture perfect family. And there was Peyton off to the side silently observing the whole scene. A scene she had witnessed dozens of times between Haley and her family, but in this instance for some strange reason it hit her like a ton of bricks. It was hard and unexpected, but the ache in both her heart and gut was impossible to ignore.

In that moment Peyton realized that she did want this. She wanted what Haley and Brooke had. That unconditional love that she and Lucas shared, Peyton wanted that to grow. That same night when they were in bed she told Lucas. They got to work right then and there, and the next day Peyton had officially ditched her birth control.

"I'll be quick let me just go see." Peyton began to sit up, but Lucas stopped her, gently pulling her back down to him.

"Peyton relax. We can try another test in the morning. It doesn't have to be right this instant." It was late and in his opinion what they both needed was a goodnight's sleep.

"But honey what if I'm pregnant right now?"

"Then you'll still be pregnant tomorrow." Lucas drawled out.

"But wouldn't you rather know right now?" She argued.

"I much rather be in bed right now wrapped up in my gorgeous wife. Crazy lady." He teased her.

"I'm not crazy." Peyton defended. She gave in and allowed her head to fall on Lucas' bare chest as she wrapped her legs over his. "I just know what I want."

That much was clear.

Every single time Peyton was met with a negative pregnancy test she had the same reaction. Her face would fall, a small frustrated frown appearing as her shoulders sagged low, but the disappointment was brief. She'd pick up her head, take in a deep breath and looked more determined than the last time.

Peyton really was on a mission and Lucas didn't exactly hate it.

"And it's very sexy." Lucas placed a kiss over Peyton's forehead and held her tightly against his body. "But you can still wait until tomorrow to take another test."

Peyton blew out a breath. "Fine." She conceded. "First thing tomorrow. Also I think we're running low, I should probably pick up some more at the pharmacy."

Lucas secretly rolled his eyes. Peyton had gone a little overboard during her last trip to the drug store. He had discovered the small fortune's worth of pregnancy tests that his wife had stockpiled in the bathroom medicine cabinet, as well as the cabinet under the sink. Though Lucas was absolutely positive they didn't need that many Peyton had argued otherwise.

Lucas didn't fight her on it of course. It wasn't like he was mad about it really. It was more amusing than anything. And as long as Peyton was happy, he was too. However he also hadn't even bothered to ask how much money she had spent on those tests. He figured it'd be best if he didn't know.

"You most certainly do not." Lucas firmly stated. "You bought more than enough last time. How 'bout you leave us with some money leftover for when the kid actually gets here." He jokingly added.

"Ha. Ha." Peyton replied dryly.

As much as Lucas poked fun at Peyton's current state of baby fever, he honestly wasn't that far behind. After the initial shock of Peyton actually wanting to have a baby wore off he'd gone into full investigative mode. While his wife had stocked up on pregnancy tests, Lucas had accumulated quite the collection of books on the subject matter and that was in addition to all the online research on favorable sexual positions for getting pregnant and the best time to do so. Together they had figured out that Peyton was ovulating this week and so naturally their bedroom activities had shifted to overdrive. Today alone it had been sex for breakfast, a satisfying quickie in one of the storage closets at Tric during lunch, and after dinner they skipped dessert and went straight to bed for one last round.

"First thing tomorrow." The blonde reminded him. A part of her was slightly tempted to wait until Lucas fell asleep and take a test anyway. He'd be pissed though.

"Well..." Lucas began. "...not the very first thing." He ended with a grin.

Peyton frowned slightly, confused.

"I mean we usually start our mornings off with a bit of bang first." He joked.

Peyton snorted at his bad joke. "That was terrible."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm hilarious."

"Oh honey, it's cute that you really believe that." She gently patted Lucas' arm.

"Quiet you." Lucas hushed her by pressing their lips together.

"What do you want Luke?" Peyton whispered softly.

"What do I want? What are you talking about?"

"The baby silly. Boy or girl?" She wondered. It was funny how the topic of having children had been this recurring tug of war that had both pushed and pulled their relationship in so many different directions, yet they had never actually sat down and discussed specifics like how many kids they wanted or gender – even if they had zero control over the latter.

"Boy." Lucas quickly blurted out making Peyton laugh.

"Wow you didn't even have to think about that one." She teased.

"Sorry." He replied sheepishly.

Peyton laughed. "Hey, guess what though?" She pressed her body firmly against his and looped her arm over his shoulder. "Me too."

Lucas smiled. "Really?" He questioned while tightening his hold around Peyton.

"Yes." Peyton nodded. "I want a little mini version of you running around this house. I want our son to have that goofy smile, your nose, hair, eyes...everything."

"Your eyes." He corrected.

"Huh?"

"Our kid is definitely gonna have those gorgeous green eyes of yours that I love so much."

"Oh, is that so?"

"It's a fact."

Peyton gave him a coy smile. "What else?" She gently stroked her fingertips across the tip of Lucas' chin.

"He's gonna be one hell of a talented artist like his mom. We might even have to open a gallery for all his artwork."

Peyton laughed loudly. She kind of liked this game. "He'll be super smart and love books just like his dad. Maybe he'll be a poet too."

"Not to mention he's gonna be the only kid in Tree Hill with the most kickass music collection."

"On vinyl." Peyton added rather seriously.

"On vinyl." Lucas chuckled.

"And he's totally gonna play an instrument, maybe two...and oh he'll be in a band!"

"Sure, after he dominates basketball of course and if there's time maybe a little football."

"Just like his dad." Peyton whispered before dropping a kiss over Lucas' mouth. "Do you miss it?" With her fingers she began tracing imaginary lines over Lucas' chest where his heart rested.

"Sometimes." Lucas admitted. He never got the chance to see if he would've been good enough to play ball professionally. His first love had always been basketball, but the HCM had forced him to let go of that dream.

"Yea?"

Lucas responded with a nod. "Not as much as before though. You know when Nathan first got drafted I was really jealous even though I was obviously happy for him. I wanted it so bad back then."

"I'm so sorry hunny."

"I'm not." Lucas shrugged. "I mean my life would have been so different if things hadn't happened the way they did. I wouldn't be an author – something I never thought would happen. And basketball is still part of my life even if it's just coaching high school. And more importantly we might have never crossed paths that summer after college and gotten together."

Peyton smiled.

"And that's something I would never change. You and me? That will always be worth more than anything basketball has ever given me. I love you sweetheart. I always have and I always will."

"You're really sexy when you're being sweet." She mused.

Lucas grinned. "Kind of the idea. It's how I won you over remember?"

He winked at Peyton and she laughed at him before sealing her lips over his.

"I love you too Luke."

Lucas took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't mean to sour the mood right now, but I'm not sure if you've really thought about this since we haven't talked about it, but you already know that I got my HCM from Dan, so...there is a chance that our kids could have it."

Peyton slowly nodded. She had thought about it. How could she not? Dan Scott hadn't been able to get a new heart in time. He had passed away last year. They had gone to the funeral, Lucas included, in support of Nathan of course.

It was scary to think that her baby could be born with this heart condition, but Dan had never really taken care of his health. Lucas on the other hand had always remained on top of it and he was fine, while still being able to live a fairly active lifestyle. This thing was manageable and that made Peyton feel a lot better about it.

"I know." Peyton gently told him. "It'll be fine. I know we can handle it if that's the case." She reassured him.

Lucas nodded in agreement before grinning. "Our kid is gonna kickass no matter what."

"He is gonna be pretty great huh?" Peyton spoke excitedly.

She could hardly wait.

* * *

 _ **11 months later...**_

"Hey I've got that!" Haley snatched the large platter of food from Peyton's hands. "And what exactly is it that you think you're doing young lady?" She scolded.

"I'm helping bringing the food out. It's fine Hales. It wasn't even than heavy." Peyton defended.

Haley, Nathan, and the kids had been back in Tree Hill for the last two weeks while Nathan had some time off from playing. They were heading back to Chicago in a few days and today they were hosting a little farewell barbecue with all their friends.

"You should be taking it easy." She reminded the blonde.

Peyton pouted. "You know I'm not totally incapacitated, right? I wish you guys would stop treating me like I'm made out of glass." She complained.

"We both know it's for the best. Go sit down and relax."

"I've been sitting down all damn day." Peyton grumbled unhappily.

"Don't make me call Luke." Haley playfully threatened as she made her way out of the kitchen with the food.

"Aunt Peyton!"

Peyton's face light up as she watched her godson running into the kitchen. "Oh hi sweetie!" She bent down, picking up the toddler and hugged him. "What are you doing in here? We should probably go find mom huh?"

Brooke wandered into the kitchen seconds later. "Jude!" Her worried face transformed into relief when she saw that Peyton had her son. "You can't run away from mommy like that."

Jude giggled. "Hide and seek!" He called out.

Brooke sighed. "Not right now little man, it's time for lunch."

Jude pouted.

"Awww." Peyton spoke up.

"Don't fall for it." Brooke advised while shaking her head. "He uses that face to his advantage far too well." She then proceeded to scoop Jude up from Peyton's arms. "Thanks for grabbing him."

"Of course."

"You doing okay?"

Peyton nodded. "Yea I'm fine."

"Missing Luke?" Brooke knowingly questioned.

Peyton quickly nodded again.

"He's back tomorrow though right?"

"Yep. I mean I'm used to him being away for work, but it's getting a lot harder lately. I kind of hate it." The blonde admitted.

"I'm sure he kind of hates it too."

"He better if he knows what's good for him." Peyton teased.

Brooke's eyes suddenly lit up. "Well Lucas will be home soon and actually probably a lot sooner than you think." She nodded over Peyton's shoulder and grinned. "Oh hey Luke, welcome back." The brunette casually added.

The blonde quickly whipped her head around following Brooke's gaze. There was her husband leaning against the doorway with a giant smile on his face. "You're home!" Peyton announced immediately running over to him.

"Hey babe." Lucas greeted, wrapping his arms around her.

"I thought you weren't getting back until tomorrow?" She questioned while looking up at him. Lucas had been in New York finalizing some details on a new book he was currently writing.

"I caught an earlier flight. I wanted to surprise you." He explained. "You didn't really think I was gonna miss this party did ya?" He teased.

"I missed you." Peyton told him, even though she told him so every single time they'd spoken while Lucas had been away.

"I missed you more. Both of you." Lucas leaned down and kissed her gently. "How are my girls doing?"

"Oh we're doing just great Lucas!" Brooke replied reappearing by Peyton's side as she hung an arm over the blonde's shoulder. "Thanks for asking."

Lucas chuckled and shook his head. "Hi Brookie." He placed a kiss over her cheek before greeting Jude next. "Hey there buddy." He said while playfully roughing up Jude's hair.

"We're gonna go eat. See you guys out there?"

The couple nodded in response.

"C'mon Jude let's go find daddy and your brother." Brooke hiked Jude up higher over her hip and made her way out of the kitchen.

Once Brooke was gone Peyton wrapped her arms around her husband once more, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy you're home."

"Me too." Lucas replied before kissing her again. "But that was the last work trip for a while okay?"

Peyton nodded knowingly. That had been the agreement since it was almost time.

"How's your back today? Have you been taking it easy?"

"Why would you think that I haven't been?" She challenged.

"Because your stubborn and I just saw you holding Jude when the doctor said –"

"It was only for a minute." Peyton interrupted in defense. "And he barely weighs anything anyway."

"You're supposed to be taking it easy Peyt."

"I have been. I've been practically stuck on the couch all day."

Lucas gave his wife a skeptical look. "You lying to me?"

"Of course not and besides it's not like I had a choice. No one will let me do anything. You made sure of that." She accused. "I only just got up because it was starting to get uncomfortable. I needed to stretch."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Peyton told him softly. "C'mon give me some credit." She added teasingly while poking him in the chest.

"It's only because I worry you know."

"I know and I love you for that. And I'm really glad you're home."

Lucas playfully tugged at one of Peyton's long blonde curls. "How are my girls?" He repeated his earlier questioned.

Peyton's smile grew wide. "We're good. Just been missing you."

"Well I'm home now." He leaned down giving Peyton a long hard kiss. "And I missed my girls like crazy."

Lucas bent down until he reached Peyton's ever-growing stomach and placed a hand over it. "You hear that baby girl? Daddy's home and he missed you."

Peyton smiled as she watched Lucas place a gentle kiss over her stomach. She sighed loudly suddenly feeling guilty. "Um Luke?"

Lucas looked up.

"I lied to you before. My back is killing me." The blonde slowly admitted hoping he wouldn't be too upset with her.

Lucas smirked and stood up once again towering over her. "Oh I know. You're kind of a shit liar these days babe."

* * *

After the barbecue Lucas had taken Peyton back home for the night.

Peyton released a sigh of content.

"Better?" He wondered.

Lucas was in the middle of giving her a back massage and it was heavenly.

"A little." She closed her eyes and sighed once more.

She was uncomfortable all the time now and there really wasn't much she could do about it these days. At eight months pregnant Peyton was gearing towards the finish line, but it most certainly didn't feel like it at the moment. For the most part she couldn't complain too much. After three months of her and Lucas trying to make a baby that little pregnancy stick finally did turn blue and the majority of her pregnancy had been easy with zero complications. Of course she still had experienced the typical pregnancy symptoms: the morning sickness, the food cravings, the non-stop peeing, the sudden mood swings, and then there were those days where she refused to leave the house because she felt fat and ugly, but nonetheless she embraced all of it. The good and the bad. She kind of enjoyed being pregnant and that included all the extra attention Lucas took in taking special care of her and their baby – it was kind of hard not to enjoy that. Lucas had been pretty fantastic and she was incredibly grateful, especially during those moment where she had been less than pleasant during her pregnancy.

Things had been manageable up until Peyton hit the third trimester that is. That's when the extra weight started to take a toll on her back. The added pressure on her spine was painful, more so than the norm, and so the doctor had advised she take it easy and avoid overexerting herself, which pretty much meant that she wasn't allowed to do much.

Peyton hated it.

Sitting around and doing nothing all day made her incredibly anxious considering she had a record label to run. Plus it was super boring, but then again it wasn't like she had the energy to do anything anyway.

"God I missed those hands." The blonde groaned out as Lucas continued to work his magic.

"Just these hands?" Her husband teased. "What about me?

"Nope. Just the hands." She quipped. "Remind me again why I allowed you to go on that work trip?"

Lucas chuckled.

"I mean who else is supposed to give me massages and set up warm baths for me whenever I want? I can't do that shit myself."

"Forgive me." He replied mockingly. "How selfish of me."

"So selfish. You'll have to find some way to make it up to me."

"Hmmm well I believe you just hinted something about a warm bath?"

Peyton leaned her head back and looked up at Lucas. "Yes please." She replied offering an innocent look.

Lucas leaned down and pressed their lips together. "Coming right up." He whispered before climbing off their bed and heading towards the bathroom.

Peyton sat at the edge of the bed waiting patiently for Lucas to return. She stared down at her feet and frowned at their enlarged size. She remembered how much Brooke had complained about her swollen feet when she had been carrying the twins. How the brunette still managed to move around in heels until the very end was a mystery to Peyton. These days going barefoot was her preferred choice of footwear. She'd given a big 'fuck you' to her heels a couple of months ago and had retired them to the back of the closet.

"Ready?"

Peyton picked up her head giving Lucas a startled look. She'd been so focused on her chunky toes that she hadn't noticed him reenter their bedroom.

She slowly nodded in response.

"C'mon preggers." Lucas teased while Peyton held out her hands for him to grab on to and he assisted in pulling her up from the bed.

* * *

"Is that a little better hun?" Lucas questioned once his wife was in the tub. He wished there was more he could do to make Peyton more comfortable, but unfortunately the back pain was here to stay until she had the baby.

Peyton nodded. "Would be a lot better though if you were in here with me."

Lucas grinned and automatically began peeling away his clothing. He didn't need to be told twice. Peyton scooted forward allowing him to sit behind her. She leaned back pressing her back against his chest while Lucas wrapped his arms around her and he immediately placed his hands over her belly.

He pressed his lips against Peyton's temple.

"Luke she's kicking again." She announced excitedly and shifted his hands across her stomach to the correct spot.

"I will never get used to that." He replied in awe. "It must feel strange right?"

"So strange." Peyton agreed. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Are you disappointed that it's not a boy?"

Lucas scoffed. "Peyton of course not. Why would you even ask me that?"

"Not even a little? I know how badly you wanted a boy."

"So did you." Lucas reminded her. "Are you saying that you're disappointed as well?"

"No!" Peyton cried out. "I love this baby. She's my whole world."

"Same goes for me too. You're giving me the greatest gift ever. I don't really care what the baby is. All I know is that she's ours and I'm gonna love this baby forever, and I have you to thank for that sweetheart. Thank you."

Peyton smiled and patted her belly. "Well I didn't get here all by myself you know. Kind of needed your assistance on this one."

Lucas chuckled.

"It's kind of crazy isn't it? She's not even here yet and we already love her so much. I didn't even think it was humanly possible for me to love anyone else the way I love you Lucas, but this love that I have for our baby surpasses everything I've ever felt...and I haven't even met her yet. Isn't that crazy?"

Lucas gently shook his head. "It's not. Not at all." He felt exactly the same. "It's a different kind of love. Everything feels...whole now. It's kind of like she's this missing puzzle piece we didn't realize we'd been missing until now. It's pretty amazing."

"You're still my world too you know. That will never change."

"And you're still mine." He agreed wholeheartedly.

Peyton paused in thought before speaking again. "We're gonna be good at this right? We'll be good parents?"

"I think we'll be both good and bad at it." Lucas answered honestly. "Somethings will come naturally to us while other stuff won't. It'll be challenging, but that's kind of the deal when you're entering uncharted territory."

"But she'll love us too right?"

"Are you kidding me? Baby girl won't be able to get enough of us, especially her mama." Lucas put his lips at her ear. "You're gonna be her hero." He whispered.

"So will you. You're gonna be such a good dad."

"Hey, you didn't really think I was unhappy with the baby being a girl did you?" He wondered seriously for a moment.

"No, not really." Peyton shook her head looking embarrassed. "Sorry it's just the hormones...I'm just second guessing everything these days. All I do now is just sit around with my thoughts. It's driving me crazy. I miss work. I miss being in the studio. I miss going out and having fun. I miss moving around like a normal person."

"I'm sorry about that. You're doing so great though you know that right? I am so proud of you. We're almost there babe." He told her soothingly. "Just a few more weeks."

Peyton took in a deep breath. "I'm still gonna miss it though. I mean don't get me wrong I'm ready to have my own body back and I definitely won't miss the beating my ribs have been on the receiving end of, but I really do love being pregnant."

"So does this mean that you're open to us having more kids?" He questioned with a hopeful look.

"Yes."

"I want at least three more." Lucas eagerly announced. "Actually might as well make it four. Then we'll have a full basketball team. How awesome would that be babe?"

Peyton scoffed loudly. "Lucas Scott I am not a baby making factory. You're insane if you think I'm gonna put my body through this four more times."

"But you just said –"

"Please don't make me stab you." She threatened. "I may love being pregnant, but I don't love it that much." She muttered making him laugh.

"Well it most definitely suits you." Lucas dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. "You look amazing."

"Even with all the extra weight and new stretch marks?" Peyton added with a pout.

"You're as sexy now as you were before. Hell scratch that you're even sexier." Lucas replied as his hands wandered down to her hips and gave them a squeeze. "Believe me I'm a fan." He enjoyed her curvier shape. "Of these too." He quickly added when his hands then traveled north and cupped her fuller breasts.

Peyton laughed out. "Well enjoy them while you still can." She joked.

Lucas frowned. "What are you talking about? I'm pretty sure they're not going anywhere."

"Pretty soon these babies will solely belong to the baby and something tells me she won't be into sharing."

"Well that's just rude. I was here first. She better get in line." He teased right back.

"I'll see what I can do." Peyton said with another laugh.

"You know we still haven't decided on a name."

Peyton sighed loudly. "Ugh I know." Picking out the perfect name was a lot more stressful than either one of them could have imagined. "Just want it to be perfect."

"It will be." Lucas reassured her. "We'll figure it out. We still have a little time."

"What about Isabelle?"

"Belle." Lucas slowly pronounced the nickname. "I like it. How about Sophie? I heard it the other day."

Peyton nodded enthusiastically at the name. "Oh I love that one Luke. Let's add it to the list."

"Quinn?"

Peyton slowly made a face.

"That's a no then?" Lucas chuckled.

"No I mean I like the name, but she just doesn't feel like a Quinn." She replied has her hands hugged her belly.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that's not her name." Peyton replied and waved her hand, officially dismissing the name. "Also isn't that the name of one of Haley's sisters?"

"Damn I forgot about that. Okay, next then?"

"Ameila?"

"Veto."

"What? You didn't even really think about it." She protested.

"Didn't need to. Next."

"Fine." The blonde grumbled. She really did like that last name too. "How about Gloria?"

Lucas frowned. "It's a little too old fashion don't you think?"

"Yea. You're right." Peyton eventually agreed. "Do you have any others?"

"Elena?"

"I'll allow it." She teased.

"You know we keep adding names to the list, but we're not actually deciding on any."

"I need lots of options Luke."

Lucas delivered a gentle poke to her side. "It's getting a little long lady." They probably had around fifteen potential baby names on their list.

Peyton stuck out her tongue at him. "I will not be rushed. Our baby is not getting stuck with some crap name."

"Okay." He laughed at her and kissed the side of her cheek. The blond knew better than to argue with his girl on this. "I love you Peyton Sawyer Scott."

"I love–"

Peyton paused suddenly. Moments later her green eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Oh hey!" She slapped the side of his thigh hard underneath the waterfilled tub.

"Geez!" Lucas cried out from the unexpected sharp hit. "What is it?!" He exclaimed slightly annoyed.

Peyton turned her head to look at him. "Sawyer." She said softly. "What about Sawyer?"

The couple shared a smile.

* * *

Later that night Lucas woke up feeling disorientated. The room was pitch black, but he could hear and feel his wife tossing and turning a few inches from his side.

"Is it your back again Peyt?" He called out and propped himself up on his elbows. He turned on their small bedside lamp before looking her way.

Surrounded by her ever-growing fort of pillows, Peyton moved around trying to get herself comfortable. After their bath she was able to fall asleep quickly, but most nights her backaches would always wake her up at some point throughout the night.

Her response was an exacerbated sigh of frustration. All she craved was one full night of good sleep. Was that too much to ask?

"I'm fine." Peyton eventually gave up trying to get comfortable and sat up on the bed. "I'm sorry hunny for waking you up. Again." She felt bad.

Lucas dismissed the apology. "Don't worry about me. Should I get the heating pad?" He suggested while rubbing his eyes.

Peyton shook her head. "That's okay. Baby's hungry anyway. I'm gonna go make a snack. I need to stretch my legs anyway."

"You sure?"

"Yep. Go back to sleep. I'll be back in a bit." Peyton delivered a quick peck of the lips and exited the room.

Lucas shook his head knowing there was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep now. Instead he pulled out a notepad and pen from the bedside table. These were the moment when Peyton was the most frustrated with her pregnancy and though Lucas couldn't physically do anything to alleviate her discomfort, he knew that a well-placed joke or a few kisses complemented with some sweet words here and there were key. Putting a smile on her face provided the distraction she needed, even if it was only temporary. Peyton always welcomed it.

Tonight he would write Peyton a little note for her to find later. After the couple had gotten back together for good over two years ago, Lucas resumed jotting down his little love notes for Peyton. His writing was what had brought them back together after all. Peyton discovering those old notes from the earlier days of their relationship is really what set their relationship back on track, eventually leading her down the path to read the book that he wrote about her.

And now he wrote to her all the time. He'd leave a note for her to discover at least once a week and when he was away for work Peyton always found a thoughtful email from Lucas in her inbox. Sometimes they were funny. Sometimes they were incredibly sweet. And sometimes they were a bit more on the frisky side.

"Luke!"

"Yea babe?"

"Can you come make me a grilled cheese?" Peyton called out sweetly from the kitchen. "I don't wanna burn it."

Lucas smiled to himself and chuckled. He wasn't the least bit surprised. It was kind of their routine at this point. Peyton still disliked cooking and always asked him to make her something instead. He was making her grilled cheeses in the middle of the night at least three times a week now for the past two months.

"Be right there." He called out as he finished up his note to Peyton.

"Lucas hurry up!" Peyton hollered out less than a minute later. "We're starving out here!"

Lucas folded up the note and rolled over to Peyton's side of the bed. He tucked the note inside the book she was currently reading, where he knew she was guaranteed to find it later tonight.

"Lucas what are you doing in there?" Peyton called out once more. "Also do we have any chips left? I can't find them. Did you eat them all? Can you get over here already please?"

Lucas smiled to himself once more and slipped out of bed. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

* * *

So this is it. This story is finally done, but I do have kind of a little extra treat if you will. There are few deleted scenes that never made into the story for various reasons. These scenes aren't very long, most are super short, but if people are interested in a little more, then let me know and I'll post them. Some of these scenes include: a little flashback Leyton during their first week of dating, and another includes a college flashback featuring Peyton, Julian & Jake.

What's next for me?

I'll be focusing now on my other Leyton fic 'Under The Same Roof'. I also have some other story ideas that are in the early stages of planning which include a Breyton story and for any TVD fans out there I'm working on a Steroline fic as well. Story summaries are in my profile so go check it out if you're curious and feel free to PM me your thoughts.

Finally I just wanted to thank you all one last time for all the endless support and faithful readers and reviews throughout this entire journey. You guys are amazing and I am forever grateful. I couldn't have gotten this far without you.

Thanks for reading. I love you all.

And it would mean the world to me if ya'll would review one last time. Give this story one final farewell.


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